Set my soul on fire
by Kiwikatipo
Summary: Dean and Faith from BTVS wake up in a hotel room together in Las Vegas. Dean finds their marriage certificate. Oops, they did a bad, bad thing. Can the two biggest players the supernatural world has known, successfully play the other?
1. I wouldn't sleep a minute away

I wouldn't sleep a minute away 

Disclaimer the characters from Supernatural and BTVS do not belong to me they belong to the great Joss Whedon and Erik Kripke.

AN: Spelling Australian English

Set my soul on fire

May 25th 2004

Faith sat on the toilet crying yet again. Her stomach muscles hurt from having thrown up earlier, but it was her heart that was hurting the most. She couldn't believe Wesley and Angel were dead. That two of the men she had cared about the most, weren't on the planet anymore. It was too bad. Oh Angel. Faith grabbed the roll of toilet paper and blew her nose.

Faith put her diaphragm back in its case and dusted talcum powder on it. Thank god she'd put it in.

Faith went back into the hotel room and crawled back into bed. Her hands were shaking with alcohol dehydration. Who was this guy in her bed again? She was fucked if she could remember; they had obviously screwed earlier in the evening. Faith crawled back under the covers. God she was cold. She snuggled up beside him.

Jesus, the guy was like a shaking ice-block. He wasn't? She hadn't? Oh no, she hadn't screwed a vampire, not tonight. How would she explain a pile of dust on the hotel sheets for a start?

Faith grabbed her handbag and searched through it in the dark, aha. Turning on the night light, she thrust her make up mirror in front of the guys face. He was turning pale blue, she noted.

Dean's eyes flickered open at the light, woozily. Why was there a shaking compact mirror, being held over his face? Dean wondered. He shut his eyes, so he didn't have to look at his reflection in the mirror. How strange he was blue. God he felt bad. Dean passed out.

Faith took the mirror away. Not a vampire thank god. But the guy was as cold as ice to the touch and turning pale blue. Holy shit, Faith realised in panic. The guy had alcohol poisoning, induced hypothermia. He had just stopped breathing! Faith knelt over him and started doing CPR. She had always known that the first aid class, she had attended in prison would come in handy one day.

Dean started to breathe shallowly again. Thank you Baby Jesus! Faith lifted him up carefully and carried him to the bathroom. Dean was placed in the shower stall, he needed to be warm. This was the quickest way Faith could think of to do it.

Faith knelt in the shower stall beside the strange guy, getting seriously worried. He was about six foot tall and was getting heavy in her arms. The shower water roared round her ears deafening her, as she held him upright against her. She was feeling like she was going to pass out herself, in the steaming hot water. If this didn't work, if he didn't recover soon, Faith was going to have to call 911.

Which would be a total bitch, any kind of official intervention was the last thing she needed.

To her relief Dean's colour slowly returned to pink and his breathing went back to normal again.

He looked up at her, focusing on the world around him once more, trying to work things out. Trying to work out why he felt like a truck had run over him? Trying to work out why he was sitting in a shower naked, with a girl holding him up? Trying to work out why she had no clothes on either?

"Thanks a lot… Hope?" Dean queried embarrassed. He realised she was obviously trying to help him. The water ran down his face from the shower and he licked it thirstily. He didn't often sit naked in showers with attractive women, feeling weak as a kitten. Did he screw her last night? He supposed they must have. Shame he couldn't remember a thing. Total blackout.

"Faith…you're Gene right?" Faith asked in return.

"Dean, Dean Winchester." Dean went to automatically shake hands with her, then dropped his right hand, realizing the ridiculousness of his predicament.

He looked at her naked in front of him, hot water streaming down her body, wearing with only a large silver crucifix around her neck. He gestured to it, "You Catholic?"

"Yeah. Mass every Sunday." Faith quipped, she touched his own pendant. "You a turtle worshiper?"

"Just a lucky charm." Dean said of his protective amulet. He put his head back on the shower wall. "Christ, did I stop breathing back in there?"

"Yeah I did CPR. You had hypothermia from booze poisoning." Faith looked at him. "You remember?"

"No but my ribs are hurting. You managed to drag me in here too, huh?" Dean looked at her in disbelief. She was so slender and only of medium height for a woman. "You're strong for a chick."

"Combination of Pilates, good genes and steroids" Faith informed him, in a humorous tone.

They sat in the shower for ten more minutes. When they started to turn into prunes, Faith judged it was safe enough to help Dean back to bed. She helped support his weight even though he was recovering fast and walked him back to bed. She vigorously toweled him dry, so he wouldn't catch a chill. He had a good body Faith noted as she rubbed his hair dry vigourously. Pity this was the only way, she was going to remember touching it this evening. Dean was surprised once more at her strength, as he lay trustingly under her ministrations. He figured she must work out a lot.

Next Faith made Dean drink copious amounts of water. "I must bring out the mom in you huh?" he joked, as he drank his third glass.

Faith laughed bitterly, "Really not."

Dean looked at her puzzled. That looked like a no go area of conversation with her. Faith had found his t shirt and made him put it on. She had on a red cotton kimono and was cuddling Dean to keep him warm. Dean was both touched and impressed by the facts, she was so nice and efficient to him at the same time.

"I liked to pretend I was a nurse as a little girl." Faith told him shyly, resting her head on his hair. "Maybe you bring out that."

"What do you do?" Dean asked her. "When you're not in Vegas, giving mouth to mouth to drunks."

Faith thought quickly. "Um I'm an independent contractor for a European Company. I… I suppose you'd say I'm in the vermin disposal trade."

"A pest exterminator?" Said Dean in a surprised voice, "You're so sweet, I thought you'd be a vet's assistant or something."

"Me sweet!" Faith laughed delighted, boy was Dean ever getting the wrong impression about her. She rubbed his shoulders briskly keeping him awake. "What about you? What do you do?"

"I work with my dad, er we freelance as well. We're big game hunters." Dean told her. That was kinda true. The game was just big things that went bump in the night. "I'm feeling okay. You can stop rubbing me now, nice as it is."

"Glad to hear it, you gave me a real fright Winchester." Faith told him, sitting back down on the bed beside him. She felt pleased with her nights endeavours. It was like having rescued a sack of kittens, from drowning from a river.

"So did we…last night?" Dean looked at her uncomfortably. Dean could not think of a way, to make his question not sound insulting. "I can't remember sorry."

"Yeah, I'm sure we did." A woman always knew these things. Faith acknowledged the effect the alcohol had had on her as well. "But I can't remember it either."

"Well hopefully it was really bad." Dean smirked to her, getting a smile back. "And we're not missing out, not remembering."

They sat silently on the bed, both mildly embarrassed, they couldn't think of anything to say to each other. Dean was mentally kicking himself. A hot babe like Faith and he couldn't remember screwing her. He was a retard.

Faith was wondering if they had used condoms, this was why she always inserted her diaphragm, before she went out drinking. Things like this were always happening to her. Look at the one time she had got jiggy with Woods. Poor deceased Robin Woods. Pregnant, she had got pregnant from one lousy night of pre Apocalypse sex, and then she'd miscarried at three months. Life since she had got out of prison had not been a bed of roses for her by any means.

"Well I suppose I should go huh?" Dean said to her at last, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them. "Let you get some sleep."

"Yeah," smiled Faith thinly, reaching for her packet of cigarettes. "Nice meeting you."

"Hey, seriously Faith, thanks for saving for my life," Dean told her sincerely, hopping on one foot as he put on his boxer shorts.

"No worries man. Didn't want to have to explain a corpse in the morning to the maids," Faith breezed, putting a cigarette in her mouth and lighting up.

Dean was good at reading people and he noticed Faith seemed depressed, now she wasn't occupied saving his life. Dean was used to girls being disappointed, as he left their rooms in the early hours of the morning. But he sensed Faith didn't give a damn about him going back to his own motel. Something else was gnawing at her.

"You seem kinda low, are you alright?" Dean asked the young brunette, pausing in his dressing. "Whatever's going on with you, making you seem sad. It's not me leaving is it?"

"Oh I'm just kinda down. Some friends of mine died three days ago, and I can't shake the blues." Faith put her head down and Dean could see tears fill her eyes.

"Hey, I can stay if you want, keep you company?" Dean suggested tentatively.

Faith looked at him and flashed him a brave smile. "That's a generous offer, but I'll be fine, don't inconvenience yourself. I like to wake up alone too." she sucked on her cigarette and stared at the ceiling. 

Dean decided to stay. He felt like he owed her one. She didn't come across as a clingy type either.

" Faith, let me take you out to breakfast tomorrow huh?" Dean said sitting back on the bed and putting his arm around her. "As a classy goodbye. As my thank you to you, for all you did for me tonight."

Faith collapsed into hungover tears, at the concern in his tone. She felt his strong comforting arms go around her, it was so nice to have someone kind holding her. She was feeling so unhappy. Faith sobbed on Dean's chest and felt him kissing her head, and stroking her hair.

She lay still in his arms finally and drifted off to sleep. Dean looked down on her wonderingly. Poor chick, she was so sad and seemed lonely. No wonder he had met her at some bar last night. He had been feeling sad and lonely last night too. Not a new experience for him. He didn't think it was a new experience for her either.

Faith woke up in Dean's arms at eight that morning. He was sucking on her neck gently. Faith grinned. "Is that how you normally wake girls up?" she asked him huskily.

Dean parted her robe and traced patterns on her breast with his fingers. "I'm not normally around when they wake up."

Faith sat up and ran her fingers through his hair. "I'm going to brush my teeth and stuff. The hotel had a complimentary toothbrush in the soaps and shampoo platter. Feel free."

Dean laughed amused at her directness. "Are you hinting I have morning breath?"

"Last night we both puked, I smoke. I have no illusions about my own breath." Faith got up smiling and walked over to the bathroom. She framed herself in the doorway posing like a 1940's Femme Fatale. "Don't you wanna kiss me?"

In the bathroom, Faith reinserted her diaphragm, applied spermicide, went to the toilet, and considered flossing. Nah flossing was overkill. She brushed her teeth quickly and jumped back into bed.

Dean had already turned the TV on. He was watching the 80's metal channel with the sound down.

"Hey I love this one, it's the Dead Kennedy's cover of "Viva Las Vegas." said Faith,  
snuggling back in beside him, grabbing the remote and turning the volume up. "Kinda appropriate huh?"

"You are a chick with excellent musical taste." Dean praised her surprised. He kissed her with a closed mouth, on her lips swiftly. "Be right back babe."

In the bathroom Dean sniffed under his arms, sprayed on Faith's scentless deodorant, went to the toilet, remembered to put the seat down, because females cared about that kind of thing and brushed his teeth. He looked at Faith's empty diaphragm container on the bathroom counter, he wondered what the hell it was for. Make up stuff probably.

Dean came out of the bathroom and dived on the bed. He winked at Faith with a sexy grin and ripped the blankets off her. A ring rolled off the bed and fell onto the floor, they both ignored it, thinking it belonged to the other.

"Shit, you're in a perky mood." Faith smiled at him. Dean knelt upright and put one leg over either side of her waist.

"A beautiful woman is about to let me make love to her, first thing in the morning. Puts me in a perky frame of mind every time," Dean explained as he gazed appreciatively at her naked body in front of him. "You are a fine sight baby."

"So are you." Faith complimented him. She sat up and kissed him, enjoying the way he was moving his hands over her body. Faith felt his erect cock press against her navel. She broke away and pulled out her bag from the side of the bed.

Dean leaned over her kissing her neck watching amused, as she started to pull the normal female crap out of her bag: Hairbrush, lipstick, lighter, diary, red cell phone, perfume, tissue packet, a stake, another lighter, two earrings and a ring in a plastic bag, two tampons, a nail-file.

"What's that stake for?" Dean asked intrigued.

"Catholic youth group, I'm a volunteer, we go camping." Faith told him. She was getting frustrated. "I can't find a condom damn!"

"I think I have one in my wallet baby. Don't panic." Dean leaned over his side of the bed. Faith kissed his shoulder and looked on as Dean went through his jacket: Bar receipts, business cards, miniature prayer book, hotel room key, marriage licence, condom.

Faith seized upon the condom with triumph, bringing it up like she'd hooked a big fish.

Dean was still leaning over the bed staring at the marriage licence. There must be a mistake. It couldn't be true surely?

"What's that piece of paper?" Faith asked him. "Court summons?"

"It says we're married!" Dean squirmed back up onto the bed, and showed her the paper. "It says we got married last night, at the Elvis Presley chapel of love."

Faith read aghast, the black and white print with her own eyes. "Oh holy shit! We're screwed."


	2. How I wish that there were more

Top of Form

How I wish that there were more 

Faith clutched the paper in her hands, her body rigid with sudden tension. "Shit, shit, Fuck!" she swore, flinging her self backwards on the bed in her rage. Faith had tried so hard to keep off the legal radar, and here was a document saying she existed, and had been in Las Vegas on May 24 2004.

"No we're not screwed Faith, let's not get ahead of ourselves here." Dean calmed her down. "We'll just go down to the court house, or something. Get them to dot Is and cross Ts and get this thing annulled."

"Yeah, yeah," Faith pulled herself together, getting over her shock. Now she just had to pretend that was what she cared about, the fact she was married. If she hadn't had had Detective Kate Lockley on her tail, trying to stick her ass back in a Californian jail, Faith would have just found the fact she'd married the cute guy beside her, amusing.

"You're right, except it's Saturday morning and the courthouse won't open till Monday." Faith pointed out to Dean, handing the certificate back to Dean so he could put it in his jacket pocket again. "We're married all weekend pal."

"Do you still wanna get breakfast?" Dean offered her. "I'm still keen on taking you out to eat." He picked his trousers off the floor.

Faith sat up. Why was Winchester getting dressed? "I thought we were just about to get it on?" she said disappointed, sounding like a child who'd just been told their trip to the circus had been cancelled.

"Hell, aren't you kinda paranoid, it will screw up the annulment if we bang pelvises?" Dean voiced nervously. "I know I am."

Faith put her hand on his stomach, just above his groin. "I won't tell if you don't." she whispered, in her most seductive voice.

"I never kiss and tell." Dean promised Faith, startled at her horniness. "But I've kinda lost the mood." He gave a yelp of surprise, as Faith pulled on his shoulder and pushed him backwards.

"I can fix that." Faith assured him.

She was so strong, Dean found himself startled by her power once more. Faith pushed him down hard on the bed, and began to suck and lick her way down his chest. Dean could only dream and pray, her internal muscles were as good as her external one. He winced as she touched his bruised rib cage, from her CPR the night before.

Being more careful of his bruises, Faith began to move lower even down his body. Dean groaned in surprised delight, as Faith took him in her mouth and began to suck in earnest, moving her mouth up and down, using her hand to bring him to life.

"This is a great start to married life." he quipped, stroking her hair.

She gave a muffled chuckle and kept going. God, her jaw muscles were as strong as her arms, she was talented at this and no mistake. Her long hair fell over his hip tickling him and Dean ran his hands through it gently. God the girl was too good. Dean sat up and gently raised her off him.

"Don't wanna waste that tooth brushing." Dean told her, bringing his mouth onto hers warmly.

Faith kissed him back enthusiastically, sitting astride his lap, and let him bring her slowly to an orgasm, with his gentle steady hands.

Dean reached for the condom packet and pulled the rubber it contained over his erect cock, carefully positioning Faith above him.

She lowered herself on him and looked into his green eyes. Dean was definitely the most handsome guy she had ever been with. Faith decided, as she slowly raised herself up and down upon him. It was surprising he wasn't more of a bastard. Good looking guys often were, in her experience.

Dean was finding Faith too good, her moves too skillful. Even reciting the alphabet backwards wasn't working for him. Faith noticed the conflicting emotions, start to war on his face.

Faith bit her lip in exasperation, as he came shuddering, with a groan. Dean touched her cheek embarrassed. "Sorry, sorta thought I'd last longer than that."

"No biggie." Faith sighed, shrugging the incident off. "I kinda need to be somewhere this morning anyway."

Faith got up and started to pull on her underwear from a suitcase. Her bra and panties were patterned with a sexy leopard print that Dean found reminiscent of a stripper. Then Faith pulled a black, cool wool trouser suit over it. The May Las Vegas heat was fierce. She tied her hair up in a bun and put on glasses. She would have looked almost conservative, if she hadn't had been displaying way too much cleavage. Not that Dean could complain about it. He liked the view.

Dean began to get dressed as well. He glanced at Faith again, surprised at the glasses. Her vision had seemed so good.

"Are you long sighted or short sighted?" Dean checked.

"Oh both, one in each eye," Faith lied. The glasses were an attempt at disguise, anything to throw Kate Lockley off her trail.

Faith looked for the pair of earrings; she remembered she had thrown them in her handbag last night. She snickered and held out a wedding ring for Dean to see. It was too large for her ring finger.

"I think mine must have rolled off the bed." Dean said looking round. He spotted it and squatted down to pick it up. "Here it is." The ring was too big for him as well.

"So have breakfast with me?" he pleaded with Faith. He was worried she might not want to have anything to do with him, after his prematurity in bed. "I have to kill time till eleven."

Faith put on her make up quickly. "That was handy for you, having a previous engagement so you could flick me at eleven."

Dean looked guilty. Faith laughed at his discomfort. "Hey I don't care lover. I have an appointment at ten o'clock myself. So yeah, bring on the eggs sunny side up."

They walked down to the nearest diner and had breakfast together. Dean poured sugar in his coffee and stirred it. "So what's your appointment?" Dean asked her.

"My firm is thinking of contracting, to the United States Army." Faith explained, drinking her tea. Her Boston Irish family had always been big tea drinkers, those that weren't raging alcoholics. Faith wasn't sure sometimes, what camp she fell into. "I'm in town till Tuesday, sorting out the details."

"I'm at a game hunter's convention here." Dean shared, thinking that was the best way to describe the demon hunters' convention he was attending. "It's kinda interesting. I'm here with my Dad. It lasts till Tuesday as well."

"Coincidence," Faith smiled at him. She thought about her conferences with the army and the CIA, talking about contracting Slayers to do work for them. The formal dinner was going to be gruesome tonight, everyone talking about hell dimensions, demon killing and their application to the war on terror. Everyone was married, except twenty three year old her it seemed. Hold on, Faith was now married, but she could hardly bring Dean as her date.

Faith stole a piece of bacon off Dean's plate. "Guess you've got some fancy do lined up tonight? I know my lot's having a party."

"Yeah, and it's freaking boring, all of my Dad's hunting buddies will be getting hammered." Dean told her sadly, thinking on how pathetic it was that at only twenty five, he was going to be stuck all night in a room full of drunken middle aged men talking about evil monsters. "Hardly any women will be there, none as pretty as you."

"You are a real charmer Dean." Faith laughed flattered, eating her toast. "My party is gonna be kinda boring too, the small talk will be work, work, work. Soldiers give me the creeps as well."

"How come?" Dean asked curiously, spearing his bacon.

"Uniforms remind me of prison." Faith said carelessly. Dean raised an eyebrow. "Which I visited once in college, as part of a Social Sciences course," Faith elaborated. Shit, Faith thought, she had to watch herself.

"Well the mutual solution to our problem, would be to go out to a show together." Dean suggested. "Unless you wanna gamble? I'm not very good at cards." he lied shamelessly.

"Me neither." Faith lied as well. "Slot machines are boring too. What do wanna see?"

Dean grabbed a paper from the next table. "Hey there's a cabaret on Count Dracula."

"Oh Christ no," Faith shuddered in revulsion, at the thought about sitting through two hours of jokes and songs about vampires. That was too much like work. "Um the concept of vampires is scary to me." She lied through her teeth. "I just don't like the sight of blood."

"But you're a pest exterminator." Dean said puzzled. "You must see heaps of dead animals."

"Um no, I'm just the girl in the office making deals." Faith fibbed again.

"You must be pretty important in your company huh?" Dean said impressed.

He went on reading the options. "Well we don't want to go on the 'Haunted Vegas' tour, that's definite. Um I don't believe in that shit," Like he wanted to have to risk suddenly needing to exorcise something, on his Saturday night off.

"No way," Faith agreed emphatically with him, unknowingly thinking along the same lines. She looked down at the paper. "Ooh … 'The Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey, and Dean'. Star Theater includes dinner, starts at 8.15. Let's go to that."

"Rat-pack, yeah why not? Shall I pick you up from your motel room at 7.45? We could walk there." Dean suggested. "Give me your cell phone number."

"Yeah, sounds a plan," Faith handed him one of her business cards. She looked at the time on her cell phone, "Gotta go."

Faith walked briskly over to the building she was attending the meetings in. Her cell phone beeped. Faith looked down at her screen. "NOW YOU HAVE MY NUMBER, DON"T STAND ME UP! DEAN"

Faith chuckled and bumped into the Finns. The most revolting cutesy married couple in existence, in her opinion. Faith went in the lobby of her building with the Finns and immediately started talking bidding prices.

Dean walked down to the conference centre, the Demon Hunter's convention was being held in. This morning's seminar was Poltergeists: 'hazards and dispatching methods'. Dean knew his father had been disappointed that Dean had refused to attend this morning's breakfast seminar, on the various sub species of Wendigo.

When he was a teenager Dean had loved this shit, because he had had his brother Sammy with him. Sammy was probably going to some frat party tonight, Dean supposed. Still life wasn't all bad for Dean; He actually had a prearranged date for Saturday night. Course she was his wife, but it was still a date right?

Dean supposed Faith would screw him again as well. Hopefully he'd last longer this time.

Faith sat bored in her meeting, doodling little vampires and teeth on her brief sheet. Her mind went to Dean, she was certain they'd fuck after the show. Hopefully he'd last longer this time. Her problem was she was too damn hot, for guys to control themselves. She sniggered to herself.

"Anything you want to share Miss Lehane?" the general speaking, asked her offended. The general had thought his proposal quite a reasonable one.

"No, no. I'm good." Faith apologised, she grinned to herself again, and she was very good indeed.

Detective Kate Lockley lay dejected on her bed in her hotel room in Cleveland, Ohio. She had just missed Faith Lehane again. It was her mission in life to bring Faith Lehane to justice. Kate just knew the government was turning a blind eye to Lehane's escape. Kate was going to get Lehane one day, Kate just had to bide her time.

Agents Green and Firn of the FBI credit card fraud division stepped onto the tarmac at the Las Vegas airport. They were going to find the notorious duo of John and Dean Winchester. The Winchesters had racked up over one hundred thousand dollars between them, in credit card fraud during the last five years. There were laws against that kind of thing. Green and Firn had arrived in Las Vegas to enforce them.


	3. Viva las vegas

Soul3

Faith opened her door at 7.25 pm to Dean, standing relaxed outside her door.

"You look nice," he said to her admiringly, looking at her black off the shoulder blouse and burgundy ethnic print mini skirt. "Kinda like a gypsy."

"That's the fashion." Faith smiled pleased. She looked Dean suggestively up and down. He was looking very urban cowboy. Her gaze lingered a little too long at his crotch for decency. "You're nice too, shaved and washed always makes a difference to a guy I guess."

"Can you see without your glasses okay?" he asked her thoughtfully, noticing she didn't have them on.

"Oh yeah no, I'm blind with out them. " Faith laughed, putting them on. She linked her arm through his. "Let's go have fun."

They walked through the streets together. Both chatting gaily and lying about their respective days.

The one thing Dean did tell Faith the truth about was that he had not yet told his Father, he was married to Faith.

"Chicken," Faith teased him.

"Hey he's ex marine, probably try and talk me into not divorcing you and you're too beautiful to be lumbered with a loser like me." Dean defended himself.

"You are so smooth Dean, it's a wonder you don't slide on your own grease." Faith laughed at him.

Faith squatted down. "Look at those puppies in the display window, aren't they cute?"

Dean bent down with her and looked at the Labrador puppies playing in their pen. "That black one has beautiful dark eyes like you," he joked with a little bit of truth to what he was saying, "Warm and loyal looking, intelligent."

Faith almost fell on the sidewalk with laughing. She looked at a cream puppy walking in the water bowl. "Well that blonde one must be you, cute but thick."

"Ya think I'm cute?" Dean grinned pleased. Sex was looking ninety-nine percent certain with her by the end of the evening.

"Hell yeah, those wicked little freckles on your nose especially," Faith teased touching his nose lightly with her fingers.

"Wicked…., I heard you call the remote a clicker before, you called the bathroom cabinet a cubbid, and you're from Boston aren't you?" Dean asked her, suddenly placing her accent. "Is that where you're family is? What would they think if they knew you got married in Vegas? Are you this big close Irish Catholic family?"

"What you've turned fucking psychic all of a sudden? Faith scoffed rudely, jumping to her feet in the most athletically fluid movement Dean had ever seen on a woman outside of a Chinese gymnast at the Olympics.

Faith hated thinking about her dysfunctional abusive family. She hadn't got a single card or letter of encouragement from one of them, the whole time she was in prison. A good way to ease the pain of that seemed to attack Dean verbally. "My birth place must be on our marriage licence, why try and impress me? You know I'm going to fuck you anyway tonight." she finished brutally. "So don't just bother…"

"No," Dean cut in quickly, hurt and alarmed at her sudden attack. Sex in spite of what she had said, now down to a forty percent chance. He was realizing her family was a bad topic to bring up. "On the form Beside State born in, it has N/A on it. I've kinda been wondering all day what that meant." Dean looked at her alarmed. He didn't know her the first thing about her. Was the chick a psycho? "Ease up on the drama Faith."

"Must be because I was born in Canada," Faith said shortly. "My mother was making a day trip. I came in a rush. I always forget that." After all it wasn't like her drunken bitch of a mother had shared these sweet memories, an aunt had told her that once. She pulled herself together. "We better hurry if we're going to make that show." She looked up at him, seeking forgiveness for biting his head off. Willing him to understand what she really meant. "It's my fault for stopping to look at the puppies."

Dean got dysfunctional families. He put his arm round her again tentatively. "Puppies are not all they're cracked up to be, sometimes."

Faith leaned into him relieved. "I am from Boston. You were right, good guess Winchester."

"I've been there, you're accent is quite mild now." Dean quickly changed the subject feeling Faith tense apprehensively again. "I'm from Lawrence Kansas. I call the end of a loaf of bread a heel, still."

"I've never been to Kansas is it nice?" Faith asked, pleased to be having a normal conversation again.

"Yeah, quiet y'know?" Dean and Faith walked off together, both aware of two pairs of eyes watching their every move. Faith because of her slayer senses, Dean because he and his father had had been sure the F.B.I. was onto them.

Agents Green and Firn had been following Dean since he had gone back to his hotel room. The two agents were biding their time, waiting for Dean and John Winchester to be in the same place at the same time so they could then arrest them.

Faith and Dean walked into the lobby of the star theatre. Faith wondered if the F.B.I. agents were after her. She had a pardon from the Governor of California that the Mexican President had arranged for her. It was in payment to her, for helping to wipe out a group of vampires trying to bring down the Mexican government, eight months ago. However Faith had no trust in politicians, she knew other lobby groups funded by Wolfram and Hart wanted her back in jail.

The Governor of California had been nice to Faith, his wife came from a Boston Irish Catholic family. The Governor knew all about vampires too, who'da guessed? Faith just had to stay out of California.

Faith had seen this movie in prison once, called Les Miserables. (The movie was shown under the regime of a warden who had been going insane.) It was an olden day movie, about this French ex con called Val Jean who went straight and yet kept being persecuted by this asshole with no life called Inspector Javert. Faith had her very own Inspector Javert, she was blonde, in her early thirties and called Detective Kate Lockley.

Now you would think, Faith had often reflected bitterly, with Kate Lockley's own dysfunctional Irish Catholic alcoholic family background she could have some sympathy for a trying to go straight Faith. But you'd have to think again. Kate was perpetually trying to kidnap Faith and bring her back to California so Faith could rot out her youth in prison.

If Kate had managed to get the Fed's involved it would be no surprise to Faith.

Dean and his dad were aware they were being tracked by the F.B.I. for some months. They were using credit cards forged for them by a Hong Kong triad in payment for some demon exorcising they'd done on the triad's leader's son. The Winchesters' had read about the crackdown on the Triad in the papers, three months ago.

Dean needed to shake the Fed's now. He walked past a casino called the Hunters Lodge and pulled Faith in. "I just wanna check out the hunting trophies, they're using for decoration here." He lied to her. "Would you be an angel and just walk through it quickly with me?"

"Yeah sure," Agreed Faith, anxious to get off the street as well. They both walked quickly into the crowded casino.

"Very informative," said Dean glancing at the stuffed moose and bear heads on the wall, all the while trying to get them immersed in the throng of people that were crowding the casino. "I wonder if they've got some on the second floor, do you mind?"

"No, I'm fine." Faith reassured Dean. Faith walked quickly to the stairwell. "We should run though. To make the show."

"Yeah," agreed Dean, they both raced up the stairs. They got to the second floor landing. Dean looked at Faith surprised. "For a smoker,… you're not even puffing."

"Um Pilates," Faith shrugged. "Oh look, the walkway to the next building, lets go that way, I love walkways."

"Walkways and puppies huh?" Dean smiled at her, swiftly pretending to look at the big game heads, mounted on the wall.

They walked rapidly across the walkway on the second storey. The Star Theatre was two buildings away.

"You know what would be fun?" Faith suggested, trying to sound as this suggestion was as normal as daring Dean to a skinny dip, in a hotel pool. "Let's walk the fire escapes on this building; I've always wanted to try something crazy like that. It's dark no one would see us."

"Yeah it's crazy." Dean said uncomfortably. He didn't like heights much. But it was a good idea. "But hey Saturday night date with a pretty girl, doesn't come my way that often. I'm in."

Dean stood in the door way and looked for a security camera. There was none, which was an oversight. He walked over to the fire escape window and tried it. It was stuck fast.

"Here let me, I have knack." Faith used brute strength and shot the window open. "Wrist action." She told an amazed Dean. "You must have noticed this morning, well come on lover, times a wasting."

They both crawled out of the window and ran along the fire escapes. Dean praying internally, Oh dear god don't let me fall, the whole way.

Faith jumped down effortlessly and helped Dean land safely.

"You're so strong." He commented puzzled.

"Eat a lot of spinach." Faith replied. "You're very strong too. Do you work out?"

"Yeah, some of the bastards I hunt are strong devils." Dean said opening door for her to the theatres back entrance.

Dean handed over the tickets he had bought with cash that afternoon. They went into the show with minutes to spare.

"I'll have steak Diane rare." Faith ordered to their waiter, "No fries thanks."

"Thought you didn't like blood?" Dean remembered. "Porterhouse steak thanks."

"Only human," Faith told him, she sipped her white wine. "This place is wicked isn't it?"

"I thought college girls had more fancy tastes than this." Dean said, relaxing over his beer. He had hurriedly text a message to his Dad telling him to switch hotels.

Dean touched glasses with her. "To our short lived marriage and a hopefully painless and cheap divorce on Monday."

"Amen." Faith said in heartfelt agreement, sipping her wine. She lit up her cigarette. "I won't smoke when you're eating." she promised.

"Lucky me." Dean said. The smoking was a major turn off about her, that and the increasing evidence she was crazy. "So what did you study at college? Social sciences you said?"

"Um yeah, but I majored in Spanish." Faith told him unblinkingly. Well her cell mate for two years had been a busted Columbian drug mule who hadn't spoken any English. Faith now spoke Spanish fluently. "What about you, ever go to college?"

"No, I could never let Dad run his business all by himself. He just had too much work for one person to handle. My kid brother's in Stanford." Dean went on. "But I'm probably too dumb to have gone to college. Sammy's the brainy one, wants to be a lawyer."

"God I hate lawyers." Faith informed him candidly. "I'm glad you're not one."

The show started and Faith and Dean immersed themselves in its magic. When their dinner came, Faith helped herself to fries off his plate.

"You chicks always do that." Dean laughed. "Why didn't you order your own?"

Faith grinned. "It's more fun taking yours, I'm not ordering desert either."

"I'm not sharing my sundae, even if we are married." Dean told her, smacking her fry sneaking hand playfully.

Faith shook her hand. "No wonder our marriage isn't working."

The show ended and they caught a taxi back to Faith's hotel to pick up her belongings. They couldn't see the FBI agents anywhere and both were scoping their surrounds, hoping the other didn't notice what they were doing. Faith had told Dean she wanted to swap hotels because of bad drains.

"Do you mind if I use your name just for fun?" Faith enquired, as they stood in the lobby of her new hotel. That would hopefully throw any one looking for her off her trail.

"Be my guest." Dean informed her, carrying her suitcase and lap top for her. "It is kind of freaky huh?" he dug into his pockets and gave her a hundred dollar bill, "On me."

"No my work will pick up the tab." Faith scolded him. "They'll understand once I tell them about the um, drains."

"I didn't think they were that bad." Dean told her. He notched up another thing that was crazy about her, Faith noticed smells that weren't there. Maybe she was schizophrenic, it would explain a lot.

Dean quickly called his father as Faith checked in. John was going to crash the night at a friends place and get the friend to pick their stuff up from their hotel tomorrow. They decided to play the conference by ear. The Winchesters were adept at keeping one step in front of law enforcement agencies.

The new hotel room was shabbier than Faith's last place. Faith rang up room service for a bottle of champagne.

"Why not huh?' she told him. "You only live once."

"Maybe only living once, was how we ended up getting married. You drink a hell of a lot don't you?" Dean continued, knowing it was probably the wrong thing to say.

"Yeah I guess I do drink by the bucket." Faith said not taking offence. She was having a cigarette out the window. "I drink when I'm by myself as well, which is meant to be bad. I travel such a lot though, I don't have anyone to drink with you know?"

"Yeah." Dean acknowledged. "Maybe you should change jobs."

"I can't it's a calling." Faith said bitterly.

"Pest extermination?" Dean queried disbelievingly. "Shit you're a real career girl, you should slow down. Enjoy life y'know smell the flowers or something?"

Faith smirked "What like you? I've only known you a day and it's obvious you think your father's well being, totally depends on you Dean. How old are you anyway?"

"Twenty-five, let's just drop the subject huh?" Dean said annoyed. "Your smoke is drifting in the room too."

"You're free to go." Faith shot back. "Except you won't, because you want to screw me."

"Well I did, but you're so, I dunno… prickly and defensive. It doesn't seem worth the effort." Dean told her honestly.

There was a knock on the door and Dean answered it, taking the bottle of champagne from the room service boy.

Dean plonked it on the table. "Do ya want me to go, Faith?"

Faith hesitated and then told him the depressing truth. "No, even fighting with a one night stand I accidentally got hitched to, is better than spending yet another fucking night by myself." She knew she'd just drink the whole bottle of champagne all by herself if he walked out the door.

"Even fighting with an emo chick, is better than putting my Dad to bed drunk yet again." Dean told her in return. He opened the champagne bottle and found glasses. Faith joined him.

"To us Faith, we're both as emotionally fucked as each other. We're a match made in heaven." Dean toasted.

Faith clinked her glass against Dean's. "Which impersonator at the show did you like the best?"

"The Sammy Davis Jr one, I like Frank Sinatra songs the best I think." Dean told her gently pulling her down on the couch beside him. "'Witchcraft' is timeless."

"I hate witches." Faith said unthinkingly, hooking her legs over his. "So on with their Earth Mother stuff, so holier than thou."

Looking at Faith with astonishment was obviously going to be a regular occurrence with him, Dean realised. He stroked her bare thigh. "How many witches do you know?"

"Um, there was a Wiccan group at college they were fucking lame, as if magic exists." Faith backtracked hastily. She smiled as Dean's hand moved up under her dress.

"Well there might be forces darker than you realise, out there." Dean warned her, tugging down her panties. "I guess David Copperfield would have not been a good choice tonight."

"I'd like to see the gay magicians with the tigers." Faith told him. Dean leaned over and put her wine glass down.

"Let's see them tomorrow huh?" Dean kissed her lightly on her lips. "Go brush your smoker's teeth sweetheart. I want to kiss you and then having slightly meaningful sex."

Faith got up, "Slightly meaningful?"

"I know your last name, you're my wife. It can't be a zipless fuck anymore." Dean grinned, "If that's okay?"

"Are you sure I promised to freaking honour and obey?" Faith said, as she went to the bathroom. Faith brushed her teeth ruefully wondering why she let Dean boss her around. It must be because he was an eldest child, she decided.

She came out and Dean walked over to her and kissed her softly. Faith wasn't used to soft kisses.

It was hard to adjust to the fact she knew Dean now. That someone she knew was taking off her clothes that, someone she knew was carrying her to the bed, that someone she knew was sucking her nipples and probing carefully between her legs. She almost stopped him, as he lowered his face to her groin and began to delicately trace what felt like the alphabet with his tongue, on the one of the most sensitive parts of her antomy.

Faith tried to focus. Dean was in fact licking the alphabet on her nether regions. He didn't go down on women that often, (one night stands were pretty basic with him) and he had heard that this was a good method to ensure female partners satisfaction.

It took the third cycle on the letter M and Faith tensed, cried out and then stilled.

Dean smiled. Objective achieved. His Dad would be proud. Dean grabbed the condom packet in his jeans, and Faith helped him roll the condom on.

Dean lasted longer this time, he managed to bring Faith crying out to another orgasm, Dean came immediately afterwards, triggered by her wail of release.

He pushed himself off her weakly and lay down beside her panting, slick with sweat.

"That was fucking good Winchester. Did you jerk off, before you picked me up at my hotel?" Faith teased him, kissing him enthusiastically, with gratitude.

"Yeah." Dean admitted. He had been determined not to come too quickly this encounter with Faith. "So it lasted long enough, that time?" he checked putting his arm around her.

"Oh yeah," Purred Faith approvingly, resting her head on his chest feeling his pounding heart, "Wicked good."

"You like it rough, don't you sweetheart?" Dean told her kissing her forehead. "I'm sure those finger nail wounds on my back you just inflicted, will heal with time. I hope I just don't have permanent scarring."

"Bullshit Dean, you loved it." Faith laughed at him. "Why is my back bleeding, huh?"

"Self defence!" Dean retorted. He had sensed Faith had been reluctant to let him be on top. He had to exert all his strength, to keep her pinned under him. "You are one fucked up chick. I really like you."


	4. I'm just the devil

**And I'm just the devil with a lung to spare**

Faith and Dean ordered breakfast in their room so they were able to make love one more leisurely time. Faith hadn't let Dean get that much sleep the night before and he lay in bed watching her get dressed, thinking it was unfair she seemed fresh as a daisy.

"Sleep in." Faith urged him insistently. "I can sneak back and see you at lunchtime."

"Your business meeting that boring or you get a kick out of sneaking back for a quick screw?" Dean asked her.

"Both." Faith answered, blowing him a kiss as she walked out the door. "Go on stay, I can tell you think your big game convention is pretty lame too."

Dean called his father as soon as Faith left the room. "So what's the deal?" Dean asked his Dad.

"They followed the luggage back to my hotel but I think I've thrown them. We should head out of town now." John told him. "Where are you?"

"I kinda have business I need to take care of here Dad." Dean told him, positive he could avoid his father ever finding out Dean got married in a Las Vegas wedding chapel.

"What business?" his father demanded disbelievingly. "Are you holed up with some girl? This is serious Dean blow her off."

"It's not that exactly, look its private okay." Dean said defensively to his father. "I'll meet up with you in San Diego on Tuesday night."

"Private is code for you shacking up with some girl." John Winchester snapped disapprovingly. "I'm real disappointed in you son."

Dean felt frustrated. At twenty five couldn't he have something private from his Dad? Couldn't his Dad trust him a little?

"I'm sorry you feel that way Dad." Dean told his father curtly. "I'm still staying here till tomorrow."

"You're taking a foolish risk son." John Winchester told him angrily. "But I'll see you in San Diego."

Dean ended his call and went back to sleep. He woke up at ten to the room service people. He sat in a chair watching the maids vacuum and clean. Faith hadn't left him with a key so he was kind of a prisoner. Maybe he could supplement his income by being a male Gigolo. Maybe this was how it started. Dean had a shower and washed his shirt and boxers drying them with the hotel dryer.

Dean did sit ups and push ups to fill in time, he was getting bored and hoping Faith would be able to make it back for lunch.

She rang him at eleven to make sure he was still there so she could go back to the hotel.

Faith came in the door at twelve-thirty unbuttoning her blouse as soon as she walked in the door. Her briefcase sailed into the corner as she threw it away.

"I was hoping you'd stay." She said pushing him down on the bed. "That meeting was so boring, so very boring. It makes me hornier than killing things… um reading rat extermination reports… because that's boring too."

"Okay," Said Dean raising his eyebrows at her, pulling her skirt up. She was fucking crazy. It was always the quiet ones he guessed. He took her glasses off and put them on the bedside table. "Do I go blurry when you take them off?" he asked.

"Yeah…, very hard to see you," Faith said, unbuttoning his fly. "I can think of another way you can make my vision blurry."

Dean pulled her down and kissed her roughly. He had quickly realized she got off on it. She tasted strongly of chewing gum. They both moaned in unison. They were getting more and more attuned to each others wants and needs with each sex act. They copulated swiftly keeping an eye on the clock. Dean's watched Faith's face waiting till she climaxed and he could follow her. He had learnt if he raised her hips at just the right angle he could make her orgasm quite fast.

Faith came hard and he followed seconds later biting her collar bone.

'Christ," Faith said lying back sweating. "It just gets better and better doesn't it?" she sat up and raced to the bathroom to shower.

Dean came in and joined her. "Do you still want to see the gay magic tigers?"

"What?" Faith laughed. "You've got it slightly mixed but not especially."

"Can we stay in." suggested Dean to her massaging her shoulders under the hot water. "You said it's getting better and better." That would keep him off the streets and out of any FBI radar.

"Yeah," Faith didn't want to appear in public for the same reasons. "And we can arrange that divorce first thing tomorrow too."

"At daybreak." Dean suggested, he kissed her slowly. "You have to go back to your meetings?"

Faith pushed him away. "Sadly yeah." She stepped out of the shower and toweled her self dry quickly. "You okay staying here till four?"

"Yeah," Dean assured her. "Got any clothes you need ironing?" he offered. "I'm serious."

"Yeah okay," Faith said pleased, never one to look a gift horse in the mouth. She was sure there was nothing slayer incriminating in her suitcase. "Just go through my suit case. It virtually all needs an iron. The combinations my birthday 12/17/80." She got dressed and threw him her room key. "Sorry I didn't give it to you before. Could you pick up some beer?"

Dean opened her suitcase once she left and turned on the tv, to a sports channel. He was a doer. He took the ironing board out and started pulling Faith's clothes from the suitcase. She had obviously done a wash and dry and dumped her clothes in the case without folding them. Dean tutted disapprovingly, raised by his marine father, Dean packed his suitcases beautifully.

It was like her clothes belonged to two different people Dean decided. A prissy librarian type and a street tough. It must be a Catholic thing. He found four different crucifix necklaces scattered throughout her clothing. He ironed her clothes carefully and folded them neatly in her suitcase. A job well done he thought, regarding the order he had brought to her suitcase with pride.

Slipping a pair of Faith's sunglasses on and her Boston Celtics cap Dean went quickly forth into the world outside and searched for a liquor shop. He brought another pair of boxers from a closing down souvenir shop and a t-shirt for him and Faith. He couldn't see the F.B.I. agents anywhere, hopefully he had given them the slip. Or more likely they were on his Dad's tail.

Faith came home at four thirty and opened a beer immediately. "God, it was so deadly dull Dean." She said lying back on the bed. "Do you wanna go for a swim with me, in the hotel pool? It was stinking hot, walking back here."

Faith and Dean swam in their underwear and t-shirts it was a quiet time of day with not many people in the pool. They both thought the other a bit odd not wanting to hit the bright lights that evening, but such was their confidence in on Dean's part, his attractiveness and Faith's, her sexual prowess, that they could understand the other wanting to stay in and enjoy their body.

The each regarded the other pityingly.

Agents Green and Fern were at present following a discreet distance behind John Winchester's Impala. They were certain he would rejoin his son soon, and if not they still had him.

Faith and Dean watched a movie together, sitting relaxed on the bed eating their dinner ordered from room service.

"How come you've got so many cross necklaces?" Dean asked her curiously, during a jewelry ad on tv. "You have four in your suitcase and you're wearing one now."

"Um, have I?" Faith commented. "I like to match them with my outfits when I go to Church you know? You must go to Church a lot too huh?"

"Why do you say that?" Dean said startled.

"That prayer book you have in your jacket pocket." Faith said looking with interest at an add promoting a new type of potato chip. Faith liked junk food.

The prayer book he used for exorcisms of course, Dean realized. "I'm busted. Yeah Dad and I attend a Lutheran service every chance we get, but he uh left town today on urgent business so we couldn't." Dean looked at her curiously. "So are you going to mass tonight?"

"Oh um no." Faith said, trying to think of a reason why she wouldn't. "It's just not the same if it's not in my parish, with the kids from my youth group and everything."

Dean and Faith both lay still, wondering if the other was so religious why they seemed so experienced in having one night stands? Dean put his arm around her. The girl was obviously schizophrenic. Faith rested her head on his chest. Winchester was obviously completely under his fathers thumb.

"Share the last beer?" Dean suggested with her.

"Yeah thanks." Faith said.


	5. I'm gonna keep on the run

May 28th 2004 Las Vegas

Faith and Dean stood blinking in the bright sunlight, after having emerged from the darkness of the courthouse.

"Two weeks till annulment." Dean said pleased.

"Eight-hundred and twenty dollars," Faith reminded him, less pleased. "Well I gotta work. It was nice meeting you Dean."

"Yeah, you too," Dean told her hastily. "I hope my next wife can be as nice as you, you know a church volunteer and everything."

"I'm not really that good a person." Faith mumbled. "You really have the wrong idea about me."

"No," Dean corrected her firmly. "You're a really good person Faith. Don't ever let anyone tell you different." He kissed her goodbye.

They parted a little sadly. It had been a good weekend in each others company, but neither of them was really in a position for a serious relationship at the moment.

October 29th 2004 Wichita Kansas

The Finns and Faith walked into the sporting goods store. Faith wanted to show them a state of the art crossbow.

"If you want us to come with you on this mission, Vi and I want these babies." Faith informed them, as they looked at the display in the glass cabinet.

"In your dreams Faith," Sam told her. "It's military issue or your own. Our expense account won't swing for it."

"What do you need crossbows for?" Came a curious voice behind them.

"Dean!" Faith laughed amazed, she instantly recognised his voice. Faith hugged him. "What are you doing here."

"Shopping," Said Dean, hugging her back, Christ she looked sexier than ever, even in sweat stained military fatigues. "Have you joined the army?"

"Oh no," Faith laughed, "Just contract work."

"For pest extermination?" Dean questioned. "Man, the army takes vermin control seriously doesn't it?"

"You betcha," Faith laughed. "Ha, this is Sam and Riley Finn, we work together on the rodent control problem in army barracks right?"

"Yes, that's us the Rodent Control Unit." said Riley, grasping immediately this guy knew nothing of the supernatural world they moved in, shaking Dean's hand in a friendly way. "So how do you know Faith?"

"We met in Las Vegas a few months back," Dean said in an off handed manner, figuring there was no way Faith would have mentioned their marriage.

"So why are you in Wichita, visiting family?" Faith inquired.

"Big game hunting," Dean said to her, "Cougars."

"I didn't know Kansas had Cougars." Sam commented, looking at some t-shirts.

"Oh yeah, Kansas Cougars vicious and rare," Dean replied, not sure if Kansas had cougars either.

Sam and Riley wandered off discreetly. They could see the two were itching to talk privately.

"So what are you doing tonight?" Faith asked Dean with a suggestive glance. "Going out with your girlfriend?"

"I don't have a girlfriend." Dean told her smiling seductively. "You have any plans with a boyfriend tonight?"

"I would if I had one, but I don't." Faith sighed. "I think being taken out to a movie would take my mind off that sad situation."

"Seven? Is your phone number still the same?" Dean checked with her.

"Yeah seven would be good. I'm staying at the Hilton." Faith told him. "You're lucky. This is my last night here."

"Or unlucky," Dean said disappointedly, he reached out and stroked her face. "It is real great to see you Faith. I never thought I'd run into you again."

Faith took his hand. "Ditto babe. Just to get this straight," Dean's heart sank, she was going to tell him no sex. Faith put his hand on the gap in her t-shirt exposing her stomach. "We're still going to fuck right?"

"God yes," Dean choked, stroking her bare belly.

"Pick me up at six thirty then, I do wanna see a movie as well, we can screw before we leave my hotel room." Faith told him stepping away. "Well I am on the clock here. So see ya later."

Dean stared after her as she left the store. Damn, now he had a raging hard on from stroking her belly.

His father came up to him. "Who was that young lady I saw you speaking to?"

That was no young lady that was my ex-wife, Dean felt like saying, just to see the expression on his fathers face. "Someone I'm seeing tonight." Dean told him. "Don't wait up."

"Just so long as you keep your mind on the mission son," John Winchester told him firmly.

"Dad, gimme a break don't I always?" Dean answered wearily.

Part two

Dean arrived at Faiths hotel room with flowers and a bottle of wine. She was talking barefoot, in her door way to a young teenage girl also in combat fatigues.

"Yeah, cheap bastards," Faith told her. "Oh hi Dean this is Vi, she um is a member of my youth group, with me on um work experience."

Vi looked surprised. "Oh yeah, doesn't seem like it sometimes. Hi," she said to Dean "Well later Faith." Vi walked off.

"She sounds Texan." Dean commented.

"Is that your thing, placing accents?" Faith said to him, pulling Dean into her room and shutting the door.

"My thing tonight is making love to a beautiful woman." Dean told her, enfolding her in his arms. He smelled her hair. "God you smell so good. Have you stopped smoking?"

"Two months. Do you think I've put on weight?" Faith asked, knowing she hadn't.

"No you look just the same, maybe more beautiful." Dean disengaged himself. "These are for you." he proffered his bouquet of daisies.

"Wow, this is really like a date!" Faith exclaimed touched by his gesture. She looked puzzled. "What do I do with them?"

"Uh, put them in water? I don't know I don't give girls flowers often." Dean confessed.

"Yeah but in what?" Faith said, looking helplessly around. She put them carefully on the table. "They're pretty anyway. I haven't had time for a shower yet. Join me?"

"I've showered already, but I'll scrub your hard to reach places." Dean offered eagerly.

Faith sniggered. "I bet."

They walked into the bathroom. Dean pulled at Faith's jacket. "Let me take your clothes off?" he requested.

"Okay whatever moves your furniture." Faith laughed at him. "Do you want me to struggle and scream no no!"

"I'm beginning to want you to shut up." Dean scolded. He slid off her jacket and folded it up, putting it on the bathroom cabinet. Her t-shirt he gently pulled off her. "Turn around." he instructed, leaning over and turning on the shower.

Faith turned around. Dean carefully unhooked her black sports bra and placed it neatly on her t-shirt.

"Turn around again." he told her. He started to tug down her trousers. Faith bit her bottom lip. "Do you want me to pretend I'm dead, is that where this is going?" she blurted out.

Dean stood up straight, revolted by the suggestion. "Hell no! What kind of sick creep do you think I am?"

"I don't know!" Faith cried out embarrassed. "I mean you never contacted me before this, so I got you didn't obsess over me. I just feel weird now somehow."

"Probably because you haven't started drinking yet, will that help you relax?" Dean suggested rudely.

"Yeah," Faith said shamelessly. "Let's open up that bottle."

"You don't need to drink." Dean said disgusted. "I was going to be all nice, wash your hair and everything, take it slow. But I'll just fuck you in the shower now, okay?"

"Okay." Faith said relieved, taking off her pants. "I've inserted my diaphragm. Don't worry about condoms."

Dean pulled a condom out of his jeans. "No offence, but with a girl like you I'll always use condoms." He kissed her quickly, to take the sting out of his words. Faith pulled off his clothes and pushed him into the shower roughly.

"A girl like me? She questioned squirting shampoo on her hand and washing her own damn hair, thank you very much. "What the hell does that mean?"

Dean folded his arms and squeezed away from her, standing defensively in a corner of the shower. "Do we really want to fight about this?"

"No." Faith said hurt. "But I'm not as promiscuous as you probably. How many sexual partners have you had since we parted? Come on be honest."

"Seven." Said Dean, "You."

"Three," Said Faith, in moral triumph.

"How many partners this year so far?" Dean said disbelievingly. Had she broken her leg or something the past four months?

"Um," he could see Faith adding it up. "Including you, nineteen. You?"

"Hold on..." Dean did some adding up of his own. "Twenty-seven I think... I guess you win the purity test. You clean yet?"

"Yeah," said Faith.

"Good," said Dean and proceeded to fuck her in the shower. He used a condom of course.

Part Three

Faith and Dean came out of the cinema lobby laughing, after having just seen Team America.

Dean put his arm round her and kissed her cheek. "I didn't know you could laugh that hard."

"I didn't know you could either." Faith said kissing him back. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the same two federal agents she had seen in Las Vegas. Holy Shit they weren't after her, they were after Dean!

"Uh Dean, why have you got two F.B.I. agents trailing you?" she asked curiously. "Are you on America's most wanted or something?"

"No," denied Dean laughing, knowing they wanted him and his Dad together, and he might just get out of this. "If only…um no, they're a pain in the frickin ass. They're animal rights activists. They're insane, sometimes they pretend to be F.B.I. agents just to get to us." He grabbed her arm and dragged her to the taxi rank.

Faith went along with him, relieved it wasn't her they were after. "Animal rights activists?"

"Yeah we helped organise a Canadian baby seal hunt once." Dean improvised, opening the cab door for her. "Not something I'm proud of."

"What are they stalking you, why don't you report them to the police?" Faith asked baffled.

Dean needed to shoot that idea out of the sky, before it landed. "Oh they're harmless enough, keep wanting to give us real boring pamphlets."

"Right, the baby seal thing is a kinda mean Dean."

"Oh we're out of it, just big dangerous plentiful animals." Dean assured her.

"You just said the Kansas cougar was rare!" Faith pointed out.

"Not that rare, there are heaps of the furry bastards out there. They're a menace in the corn fields." Dean elaborated. "It's kinda a public service what we do."

"Hmm."

"Come on Faith, you kill animals all the time." Dean reasoned.

"What I kill isn't cute and isn't endangered." Faith corrected him. "Hell I guess you make an honest living."

"I do sweetheart." Dean said, putting his arm around her. "Hey still friends?"

"Yeah, still friends." Faith conceded. So they were friends now huh, that was kinda nice.

They went back to her hotel room and opened their wine bottle. It was still only nine thirty.

"Do you ever get scared hunting?" Faith asked him, after an hour of just shooting the breeze.

"Yeah sometimes, but I've grown up with it. It's second nature." Dean brushed off the focus on him, "You into the more practical side of pest extermination now?"

"Why do you say that?" Faith said, leaning on him nursing her glass.

"You had these marks on your clothes, looked like old blood stains." Dean said stroking her arm.

"Well cleaning out nests, is something I need to be in on sometimes." Faith shrugged, "But hey I travel, went to Ecuador since I saw you last. Had me a freaking blast."

"Good for you," Dean approved, kissing her hair.

"It was, but like I said in Vegas, I get sick of the hotel rooms all the time sometimes." Faith drank her wine. "Hey I've booked a seaside cottage in the woods this December. I'm gonna stay in a homey place for a week with friends. It's gonna rock."

"Sounds fun, I hope you enjoy it." Dean told her, kissing her neck.

"Me too, mm I get shivers when you do that. Good ones." Faith lay back relaxed and let him undress her slowly they way he had wanted to earlier.

This love making was the thing with Dean Faith could have, that was different from other guys. It could be relaxed and unhurried. They'd learnt how the others body had worked five months ago.

Dean started to kiss his way slowly down her body. Faith wondered if she was going to be treated to the alphabet again. It had worked the previous time, but she had almost cracked up during the process.

No, it was a new technique. Very nice. Faith wondered who had taught him that one. Then she forgot to wonder about anything, biting her lips, tensing her muscles and focusing on coming very, very hard.

"Good huh?" Dean grinned smugly, coming up to kiss her. He'd spent an interesting night two months ago, with a bossy girl in Portland who had showed him a thing or two.

Dean put on a condom and entered Faith carefully. He stroked her hair away from her face. "You're so sweet. I really like you Faith."

"I like you too Dean." Faith returned. "Hey are you leading up to, you want to stick your dick up my ass?"

"Christ no!" Dean said exasperated, thrusting quickly, so he wouldn't loose his erection. "Must you ruin the mood every damn time?"

"I'll talk about it later." Faith placated him. Realising Dean was very close to making the blood flow out of his penis and back to his brain, so he could argue with her.

She kissed him softly, weird but she knew he liked it. With relief she felt his rhythm inside and outside of her body grow slow and steady again. It was another long slow sweaty build up to a great climax for her, followed by Dean ever the gentleman.

Faith poured them both more wine. "That was pretty good, picked up a new trick I see."

"Yeah and for your future reference, I don't like fucking girls up the ass, it's too messy." Dean told her.

Faith stopped her wine glass at her lips, "Future reference?"

"Yeah, didn't you want me to stay the night?" Dean said startled. "I guess I just supposed you did." he looked round to leave.

"No I did, I did." Faith said frantically, pulling him gently back down on the floor, beside her. "You mean you were talking about screwing me again tonight, or tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah what did you think I meant?" Dean asked her, putting his arm round her again.

He touched her glass to his. "To our annulment."

"Cheers," Said Faith, she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I didn't mean anything that could ever happen."

"I get it." Dean told her. "We're sad, sad people Faith, shall we drink to that as well?"


	6. All you need

Top of Form

All you need's a strong heart and a nerve of steel 

December 15th 2004 Maine

Shrieks of feminine laughter came from the SUV parked outside the strip of stores. Passersby in the quiet country street turned their heads. A group of four young shrieking women ran to the town's one beauty parlor at incredible speed.

Dean came out of the Town Pharmacy with his brown paper bag, hoping the medication inside would take effect immediately once applied. He wasn't watching, as the group of young women came ploughing into him.

The helpless victim of their Amazon charge was knocked over on the icy sidewalk and lay on his back dazed for a moment.

"Christ, Dean Winchester!" cried an astonished husky female voice, above his head. Strong arms pulled him up to his feet.

Dean looked down into laughing brown eyes, fringed with black lashes and dark eyeliner.

"Faith!" Dean's tone of voice, expressed his deep surprise at meeting her. If only their reunion was happening ten day from now, he cursed to himself.

"What no hug for your ex wife?" Faith laughed up at him. "Did we injure you?"

Dean kissed her quickly on the cheek, giving her a bear hug, then stepped back.

"Just my pride sweetheart," Dean brushed himself down. "I've got a wet ass thanks to you and your girlfriends." He glanced at the three women looking out the beauty parlor window at them. He recognized Sam Finn, and Vi, the other teenager an African American he had never seen before.

Faith patted his behind. "Feels as fine as always to me. So what are you doing here, hunting a wendigo?"

Dean started, and then realized she was kidding. "No, uh just fishing." He looked desperately round for his paper bag.

"In winter?" Faith said amazed. City girl that she was, she didn't question it. Faith had other things on her mind. There was a stressed and worried vibe coming off Dean, she decided.

She spotted the brown paper bag lying on the ground and gave it to him. It was damp and the bottle inside was almost falling out.

"Yeah, best time for the Maine catfish." Dean said airily, shoving the bottle in his coat. "So what are you up to?"

"I'm on vacation." Faith informed him. "I've booked a cabin for me and my friends, it's my birthday in two days and I've never celebrated it properly before."

"Hey I remember you mentioning it in Wichita." Dean clicked. "That's great Faith. You should celebrate your birthday."

"So are you in town alone here?" Faith asked him eagerly. "Cause, come hang out with us if you are. It would be wicked great to see you."

"I'm 'motel alone'." Dean told her. "I'm waiting for my Dad, he's turning up sometime this week."

"Awesome!" Faith said happily. She scrawled her address down on a receipt from her pocket.

Dean took the address knowing wild horses couldn't prevent him showing up at her doorstep. "So what was the chick stampede for?" 

"We're getting our nails and stuff done, being all girly." Faith looked self conscious.

"You are all girly." Dean smirked admiringly. "You're looking great Faith." She was all wrapped up in her winter gear, resembling a cute Eskimo. Dean wanted to cuddle her.

"Come and see us this afternoon. There are three other guys there at the cabin, Finn and his friend Graham and a guy called Andrew. He's Vi's friend. We're playing cards this evening. So it'll be great, come?" she pleaded.

"Yeah sure." Dean said to her. "I'll swing by at six."

"Bring your sleeping bag, crash over. We'll let you join the slumber party." Faith invited him, as she walked away, blowing him a friendly kiss.

Sweet Baby Jesus don't let her want to have sex with me, Dean prayed to himself. I'm being punished enough.

Faith was greeted in the Beauty Parlor by a chorus of cat calls from her companions. Vi gave a shrill rebel yell, which freaked the other occupants of the salon out.

"Sorry ladies." Vi apologized to the locals. "So spill, what's the deal with you and Mr Completely Lickable?"

"Vi!" squealed Sam in mock horror. She added her two cents worth. "Yeah Faith, what's the story, he spent the night with you in Wichita right?"

"Maybe…" Faith said mysteriously.

"I saw him come out of her room the next morning!" Vi crowed in a sing song voice, she added to Sam and Rona. "And she was k, i, s, s, i, n, g him goodbye in a very French way."

Faith covered her face in her hands, pretending to be mortified. "Stop it youse."

"And they met in Vegas apparently." Sam said to the girls significantly. "So is it serious?"

"Look this is only the third time we've met. It's just casual okay?" Faith told them emphatically.

"So is he up for grabs then?" said Vi.drooling.

"Hands off Miss Barely Legal," Faith claimed Dean quickly. "He's totally all casually mine."

Part Two

Dean arrived at the small seaside cabin in the late afternoon. The log cabin was brightly lit, with a curl of smoke coming out of the chimney. It did have a homelike atmosphere.

Riley and another military looking guy judging from his buzz cut and demeanor were outside on the porch wrapped in blankets, smoking cigars.

"Hey Dean what's up?" Reilly said in a good natured, half tanked way.

"Hey Reilly." Dean greeted him. 

Finns companion stood up and shook his hand firmly. "Graham Miller." He introduced himself.

"Dean Winchester." 

"The girls are inside, making over their friend Andrew." Reilly said drinking from his beer bottle. "It's not pretty, be prepared."

Dean walked in to the smell of hot hair. A slight blonde man in his mid twenties was having a manicure and his hair done by the females in the room.

Faith looked up from where she was restocking the fire. "Hi Dean, glad you decided to come. This is Rona and Andrew, you remember Vi and Sam."

"Howdy." Dean said to everyone, he went over to where Faith was kneeling and squatted down beside her.

He reached out and brushed a smudge of soot off her face with his thumb. "How come you're not wearing your glasses any more?"

"Laser Eye surgery," Faith lied, she curled up by the fire. Putting her hands over her knees. "So…"

"Yeah…"Dean replied, he knew they had both been really sad to say good bye to each other in Wichita that morning. And yet they were virtual strangers in many ways. They didn't know that much about each other still.

If he spent the evening and proceeding days with her and her friends, it would be even harder saying good bye to her this time round.

Of course once she heard what was his problem was at the moment, it might not be hard to say for her to say good bye to him.

"I'm sleeping in there with Rona and Vi," Faith indicated an open door, which seemed to have female clutter spilling out into the open hallway. "But like I said, you can stay the night. That couch folds out."

"Thanks I'll bear it in mind. Do you want to show me the beach?" Dean suggested, he just wanted to get it out now. Then he could relax or leave her.

Faith and Dean walked along the pebbly beach, hands in pockets. Faith was aware that Dean desperately needed to tell her something and he didn't want to.

"Have you got a girlfriend Winchester?" Faith said lightly to him. Selfishly hoping he hadn't. "Is that what's bugging you? It doesn't matter your virtue's safe."

They stopped walking and stared out at the grey ocean together, side by side.

"No. I take it you don't have a boyfriend either." Dean confirmed with her.

Faith shook her head puzzled. What the hell was eating the guy?

"I can't have sex with you this time, sorry Faith." Dean bluntly told her.

"Okay, found God or something?" Faith asked starkly, kicking a pebble with her boot.

"Don't be like that." Dean couldn't believe how embarrassing he was finding this. "Look I slept with this really skanky girl in Chicago two weeks ago okay? I got crabs."

Faith burst out laughing uncontrollably.

"So I can't sleep with anyone for a week till I'm sure I'm clean." Dean went on, beginning to smile himself. "Quit laughing Faith, it's not funny."

Faith tried to stop and burst out laughing again.

Dean drew her close and kissed her, to shut her up the best way he knew. Both of them felt as if they had come home to somewhere warm and safe, after a long hard day in the cold.

Part Three

Sam and Vi peered out the window. "Oh they're walking back holding hands!" Vi said drinking her wine. "That's so sweet."

"Why are you getting so excited about Lehane's sexual plaything?" Miller asked jadedly, flicking through an old Time magazine.

"He's a total hottie." Vi explained, pulling the curtains against the cold. "I know she likes him. He real into her as well, you can tell."

"No I can't." Miller said abruptly. "So are we playing poker or what?"

"Relax Graham." Sam soothed. "We're still on for poker. Dean thinks we are all in pest extermination. It will be okay."

"The guy's a moron, if he still believes that after staying with us at close quarters for awhile," Miller threw the magazine back. "But I noticed Faith tends to screw retards."

Dean and Faith came in carrying beer from Dean's car and his sleeping gear.

"You can sleep with us guys." Andrew told Dean kindly, "Because if you're okay with Faith you're okay with us, right Miller?"

"Because we all know Faith has the best judgment in men." Miller said coolly.

Dean stiffened. Okay, he obviously didn't have a fan in Miller.

"Relax Winchester" Miller said throwing him a beer which Dean was able fortunately to catch one handed. "Sling your gear in with us. If I can room with Tucker I can room with you pal."

Part four

The card games were played for dimes, and Andrew won most hands.

"Okay," said Rona. "Let's play truth or dare."

"Let's not and say we did," Quipped Miller reshuffling the deck.

"I'm sick of poker," Vi wailed. "How about charades?"

"Just because we don't have TV is no reason to sink that low." Faith stomped on her idea, "Yeah, truth or dare Rona."

"Alright," agreed Sam easily. "Seeing Riley's passed out I'm safe."

"How neat!" Said Andrew. "I'm really into all this."

"That alone should put you all off." Miller warned them, drinking his beer slowly.

Dean frowned. "There are better drinking games." 

"What are you both hiding?" Rona teased. "Okay my go first. Vi truth or dare?"

"Truth," said Vi.

"Did you or not girlfriend, take my Nelly CD without asking me and scratch it?"

"Yeah sorry," Vi confessed. "Okay Miller."

"Dare." Said Miller quickly.

"I dare you to roll naked in the snow." Vi squeaked.

"It always comes down to clothes removal, sooner or later." Miller said disgustedly. "Can I pass and drink in penalty?"

"No!" Vi, Rona, and Andrew chorused.

"Oh Christ." Miller stood up and stripped off his clothes casually. Vi caterwauled her rebel yell again. Dean watched Faith deliberately not check Miller out. But for whose benefit was that? His or Millers, Dean wondered.

Miller stood by the door bracing himself against the cold and the others crowded round.

Miller gave his own rebel yell. (Dean had thought he was from Texas too.) The soldier dashed out the door. He rolled in the snow twice and dashed back inside to everyone's cheers.

"Holy Shit I'm freezing, you assholes." Miller shivered, grabbing his clothes and going into the bathroom for a shower.

"We'll have to wait till he comes back now." Andrew complained, reaching for his wine. "That was dumb Vi."

'Well I wanted charades." Vi slurred. "But y'all crapped on that idea, yesiree."

Dean realized everyone in the house was off their faces, except for him, Faith and Miller. Faith hadn't been drinking much tonight he'd noticed. She'd kept refilling her rum and coke with coke.

"I might go to bed." Sam yawned.

"No we hafta to finish the game." Rona insisted. "I got a doozy for you."

"Okay what?" Sam said.

"Did you ever have an eating disorder in High School?"

"Where the heck did that come from? Sorry Rona no. Um oh okay Dean."

Dean racked his brains. He didn't want to take his clothes off under the pubic lice treated circumstances. Hell, Dean didn't normally want to take his clothes off in front of a bunch of strangers. He didn't want to tell the truth about anything to do with his life, or merciful god his whatever he had with Faith. They couldn't make yet another guy take his clothes off. Sam seemed classy.

"Dare." Dean replied.

Sam giggled. "Walk round the room without touching the floor."

Dean sighed well naturedly and carefully went round the room, without causing anymore havoc than knocking a lamp shade over. But Rona deftly caught that before it hit the floor, the girl's reflexes were amazing.

By the time he had finished Miller had come back out, and people said Miller should have his turn next.

"Truth or Dare Rona." Miller began. Every one had several turns at being truth or dared. Highlights being Vi showing how she preformed fellatio on a banana, Andrew confessing he couldn't speak conversational Italian after a year living in Rome and Faith being dared to kiss everyone in the room.

Faith had pecked Rona and Vi on the cheeks, Andrew on the forehead, Dean and Miller she kissed on their mouths with her lips closed but somehow her and Sam ended up with their tongues down each others mouths. (Dean could never have seen that one coming, but it was frickin entertaining.)

Rona and Andrew went to bed. Vi fell asleep on the couch. Sam covered her with a blanket and went to bed as well.

Faith, Dean and Miller stayed up for while, talking about the state of homeland security and then Miller went to bed too.

Faith looked at Dean sleepily. "It's wicked you're here."

Dean kissed her slowly and felt her come alive in his arms. They pulled reluctantly apart. "I know I keep saying this but I really like you Faith."

"I'm glad you do." Faith smiled. "This might for once turn out to be a decent birthday for me. My Mom held a couple of parties for me when I was a kid see…"

Dean pulled her on his lap and let her put her arms around him. "You don't like balloon animals?"

"No, Mom would always get drunk at them, or forget she was holding them because she was hung over. It kinda put me off the whole birthday thing."

"Well nothing is gonna go wrong here sweetheart." Dean assured her, stroking her long dark hair comfortingly. "Turning twenty four is gonna be a walk in the park for you."

Part Five

Kate Lockley gripped her steering wheel with clenched knuckles. At last she had managed to track Faith down. She had broken several laws to do achieve it, but she had found out that Faith had paid by Credit Card to book a seaside cottage in Maine. Now Kate just had to find a motel to stay the night in, before she crashed her car with driver fatigue.

Kate checked into a roadside hotel and waited for two men who looked like Feds to check in before her.

Agents Firn and Green were feeling pretty damn good at the moment. Dean Winchester had booked a room in a small town in Maine, using a fraudulent credit card they had a trace on. They had only to go to Maine and wait for his father to join him. The two FBI agents then had them both.


	7. Get those stakes up higher

Chapter 7 So get those stakes up higher

Part One

Kate sat fuming on her hospital bed in her gown, trying not to show her bare bottom. What kind of crap luck was she cursed with? The motel receptionist had been diagnosed with a mutated form of SARs.

Now everyone who had been in contact with the silly bitch, was being kept under an eight hour quarantine. Under the order of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, as they did nasty tests on everyone involving big needles and nasal swabs.

Kate could tell the two federal agents in the same observation ward as her were spewing too. Flashing all the ID in the world was not budging the CDCP representatives, that had descended on the occupants of the roadside motel at 7am that morning.

Part Two

The sound of an axe chopping wood led Dean to Faith. He noticed she was tackling a particularly tough piece of wood.

Faith put her axe down, allowing him to kiss her good morning. She bent back under his kiss, losing herself in it. The axe slipped from her fingers so she could run her gloved hands on his back.

"Mmm, that was too much fun. You're getting me hot and bothered." Faith reluctantly released him. "It's a crying shame you're out of action at the moment."

"Let me do that sweetheart." He told her, picking up the axe. "Don't ruin that French Manicure you got yesterday. Breakfast is ready."

Faith frowned concerned. It was not normally hard hiding the fact she had the strength of three men. "I'm almost done here."

Dean took the axe from her hand. "Still let me huh?" he kissed her on her cheek.

Dean swung the axe and hit what seemed to be solid iron, disguised as wood. How the hell had she been able to make any progress in this thing?

"We've got enough wood." Faith dissuaded him from trying further. "Let's just carry it in okay?"

"Yeah," Dean agreed puzzled. He wondered anew if she took steroids. It would explain a lot. The strength, the mood swings, her paranoia. She had seemed pretty normal so far though.

Part Three

After breakfast dishes had been done, everyone gathered outside for target shooting.

This idea was Millers brain child. Dean felt sure Miller had rigged it as a little test of Dean's supposed big game hunter abilities.

Dean was feeling confident. His ex-marine father had been more like a drill sergeant sometimes than a Dad, and had made his sons target practise again and again. There had been an unexpected pay off in high school for Dean. It had been easy to win teddy bears for girls at shooting galleries in county fairs.

Sam went first and preformed respectably, then the girls. They were deadly accurate, completely outstripping Sam. Vi was the best.

Andrew was reasonable as well to Dean's surprise. Riley and Miller were good as he had expected they would be.

They didn't come close to the girls accuracy though. Vi was still the winner and Faith and Rona were way ahead of the men.

Dean took his turn and managed to come close to Riley and Miller for accuracy but not quite as good.

"You're good for a civilian," Miller acknowledged to him. "What I'd expect a hunter to be."

"That's just what I am pal." Dean stated, looking as honest as he knew how.

"Yeah sure you are bud." Miller said, and Dean knew Miller was onto him somehow.

"I hafta go into town." Dean told Faith after everyone had finished congratulating Vi. "I have some business there."

"Okay," Faith said. "I need to pick up some groceries. Can I come to? Or weren't you coming back?" she looked uncertain. "Don't mind Miller, I don't know what's up his ass."

Dean kissed her quickly. It was so good holding her. "It might take a while, but yeah come with me. I was definitely coming back if you still wanted me to."

Part Four

Dean went back to his motel room where Faith was waiting for him with her groceries.

"Sort out your fishing thing?" Faith asked him.

"Yeah," Dean told her. He was tracking down a wendigo at the moment. Just biding his time till his father joined him so they could tackle it together. Wendigos' were a two man job.

Dean hadn't heard from his father in a couple of days, he was beginning to worry.

Dean walked over to where Faith was lounging on the bed, watching TV and sat beside her.

"In a hurry to go back?" Dean checked, pulling her back on the bed. He kissed her throat and let his hands roam over her body. God her body felt so good it was unfair of the cosmos that he couldn't be inside her.

"No." Faith replied slowly, letting him undo the fly on her jeans. "But what about…?"

"I don't need to take my clothes off. Why should you suffer for my misfortune?" Dean pointed out unselfishly, working his hand into her panties and massaging her with his fingers.

"That's true Dean," Faith considered the fairness of it, "Why should I suffer? Keep doing that."

"Feels good?' he nuzzled her neck.

"Mmm," Faith encouraged him. "Kinda like being back at high school, not that I was there much."

"I thought you were a nerd." Dean whispered to her, putting his other hand up her sweater. "What with college and everything."

"Oh yeah," Faith remembered, she had told him she went to college. "Well ya know Catholic schoolgirls."

Dean kissed her and kneaded her breast. "Not as well as I'd woulda liked obviously."

Faith kissed him back passionately. Damn she liked this guy. Why the hell couldn't they both live in the same place, at the same time?

Their tongues swirled as Dean's fingers moved gently on her clit. Faith felt herself grow light-headed with the combined effect.

So light headed she almost thought she was hallucinating, the sound of their door being unlocked. It must be room service she thought groggily. They should have put a do not disturb sign on the door.

Dean broke their kiss off, turning to look in horror as his father walked in the room carrying his bags.

"Bad time?" his father inquired sarcastically.

Faith and Dean pulled apart instantly. Dean sat protectively in front of her to shield her from his father's disapproving gaze, as she straightened her clothes.

"Hey Dad, could you give us five minutes?" Dean asked trying to control his anger. His father had no right to look at Faith like she was some cheap tramp. Why the hell couldn't the guy call before he arrived?

John shrugged coldly. "I'll be at the bar down the road."

"Terrific." Dean muttered to himself. "Sorry baby."

"That's your father?" Faith moaned, she got off the bed. "This is like High School, I was always making the worst impression on my boyfriends Dads or they wanted to do me as well. One guy wanted to join in, it was a relief y'know to discover a family more screwed up than mine."

"Well get fixed up and come meet him," Dean suggested, "The old man's not that bad. He won't hit on you anyway."

"You want me to meet your Dad?" Faith queried disconcerted. "That's a bit… I dunno relationship."

John Winchester was surprised to see Dean walk in to the bar with the girl fifteen minutes later. She looked vaguely familiar. John never forgot a face.

The couple went up to the bar first and ordered drinks. Dean came back with a beer for his father and put it on the table in front of him.

"Faith this is my father John Winchester. Dad this is Faith Lehane." Dean introduced them to one another.

Faith and John shook hands with each other warily. His father stood up for her, instantly upgrading Faith in his mind. Dean had never introduced a girl to him, not since that nice girl Cassie long ago.

"Nice to meet you," John said to Faith, embarrassed he'd seen her half naked quarter of an hour ago. It wasn't the first time he'd walked in on Dean screwing some girl, but at least he'd never had to talk to any of them afterwards.

"I have to take Faith back to where she's staying, but I'll rejoin you here straight away." Dean said to his father. "I thought we'd have a drink first together. Catch up, the hunting job go well? Faith knows we run a hunting and fishing operation."

"Yeah the hunting expedition went well. I tried to call you but my phone got damaged during the hunt." John explained briefly.

"So what do you do young lady, you a local?" John inquired. The girl was attractive he gave Dean that, her clothes were tight showing off her body. She was a total fox as they used to say in his marine days.

"I do pest extermination on contract for the military. I'm here on vacation." Faith produced her cover story again. God, it sounded more lame every time she said it.

They made desultorily small talk and Faith excused herself to powder her nose. Powder her nose, why the hell had she said that? Holy crap it was like being fifteen again. She didn't meet guys' parents it wasn't her thing. Re-hooking up with ex husbands wasn't her thing either. Damn it, it was all getting complicated somehow and Faith didn't like it.

"So what is this all about Dean?" John asked him seriously. "You never introduce me to your women."

"She's my friend and I like her. She travels I travel, nothings possible but I like her, so give me a freakin break this time Dad okay?" Dean asked his father pleading. "C'mon Dad, she wants me to stay with her while she's on vacation. I can still hunt this wendigo with you during the day."

"Weird it's in Maine." John mused. "They're normally only in Minnesota or Michigan, musta wanted sea views. Okay, let's kill this thing and then I'll leave you to it. She's sexy I'll give her that. I can see why you like her. Not really daughter in law material though is she?"

Dean hid a grin as he drank his beer.

Part Five

"I like the Impala." Faith said, putting on Iron Maiden in the cassette player. "Good thing I like heavy metal too, seeing you have nothing else. I had a boyfriend in high school who was a drummer in a band, he was always doing a cover of this freakin song. That and drugs."

"So was meeting my Dad that bad?" Dean asked her seriously. "I don't introduce him to my girlfriends often. I don't have girlfriends."

"I'm your girlfriend now?" Faith observed defensively. "Am I in a relationship I don't know about?"

"Well Dad's a black and white kinda guy. You're either a tramp or a lady in his book." Dean explained.

"And what am I in your book?" Faith wanted to know, genuinely curious.

"This girl I've met who saved my life, acts like she's crazy half the time, can laugh about getting accidentally married to me and I know I'm never going to get the chance to know better after this week." Dean confessed. "That's starting to annoy the shit out of me."

"Yeah me too," Faith admitted. "I was a little down for a coupla days after Wichita."

Dean pulled the car over. "Climb in the back seat Faith, I want to finish what we started in the motel room."

"High school déjà vu again!" Faith exclaimed, scrambling over the back seat.

Part six.

Faith entered the cabin to see everyone sitting seriously round the table. They were obviously discussing something important.

"What's up?" Faith asked, putting the groceries she'd bought away.

"Looks like there's a wendigo here in these parts," Riley brought her up to speed on developments. "We've just got word.

"In Maine?" Faith said surprised. "Okay let's take it out. Will we get paid for this, seeing it's our freakin vacation time?"

"Probably not, just a day in lieu," Riley said. "We think it's in this area." He showed her a map of the woods on the lap top he had on the table.

"Let's take it out tomorrow then." Faith said to him. "Aren't they weaker in daylight?'

"How will you explain our departure to your boy toy?" Miller asked her.

"Oh Dean's Dad has arrived. He'll be heading out tomorrow morning first thing." Faith said. "No problem there."

"That's not the only problem." Vi said concerned. "We heard there's a couple of hitchhiking vampires traveling round the district as well."

"Shit the fun just never stops does it?" Faith gasped disbelievingly.

Part seven

Agents Firn and Green travelled down the deserted Maine highway. A young teenager in the middle of the road flagged them down.  
They stopped their car and got out. "Is something wrong?" Green asked the boy.

"Not now." The boy said, sinking his fangs in the FBI agents neck.

Part eight.

Dean had arrived at the cabin at seven that night. He apologised to Faith for his lateness.

"That's okay," Faith wrapped her hands round his neck. "You're here now." They kissed lingeringly.

"Get a room." Rona yelled at them good naturedly. "Folks are eating here."

"Is that why you taste of chili con carne?" Dean asked her.

"Yeah want some?" Faith asked. Dean shook his head.

He put the beer he'd bought round in the fridge and sat at the table beside Faith.

"Heard Faith met your daddy today, under the worst possible circumstances." Vi welcomed Dean. "Faith doesn't normally meet guys parents. She hardly meets the guy.'

"You drunk again already Vi?" Faith asked irritated. "I'd watch out for your liver girlfriend."

"We're going to play monopoly tonight Andrew brought along his Star Wars version." Sam changed the subject. "Nice long game."

Monopoly did turn out to be a long game. Vi fell asleep at the table and her properties were confiscated. At last it ended with Riley the mogul winner.

"I married a millionaire." Sam joked. She gave Riley a kiss on the cheek, "Good one honey."

Vi woke up as the board was packed up around her. "Did I miss my turn?"

"You missed the game!" Andrew accused her.

"Well I didn't get much sleep the past few days I'm going to bed." She stretched.

"Me too," said Rona, "Damn that game is boring. Not even being with out TV for four days made that sucker fun."

Sam and Riley made their excuses too and went to bed. They didn't look the least bit tired.

"Ah so in love, the perfect military couple." sighed Andrew romantically, as the remaining four moved to the armchairs in the living area.

"What do you do exactly Andrew?" Dean said puzzled, putting his arms round Faiths waist. "I can't work it out."

"Vi's watcher. I mean what ya you call it again?" Andrew corrected himself.

"Her …" Faith looked as if she was struggling to.

"Sorry Winchester it's classified." Miller said taking pity on them. "Even we of the Rodent Control Unit must have our military secrets, isn't that right Faith?"

"Yeah," Faith said leaning back on Dean. "Even the Rodent Control Unit has its Military secrets. We made a pact all of us before we came here Dean no talk about work."

"Great can I be included in that deal." Dean requested. "I'm sorta sick of hunting yap."

"That makes you mighty different from the hunters I've met." Miller commented. "They love to talk shop."

"I strive for uniqueness dude." Dean positioned Faith more comfortably on him. "So what are you doing for your birthday in particular Babe?"

"We're surprising her." Miller said. "Could you pick her up at five and bring her back at seven tomorrow?"

"I'll sure try." Dean replied, squeezing Faith's waist. "I better turn in soon too, make sure I get up early tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's gonna be just great." Faith stroking Dean's arm. "I know it."

Part Nine.

John sat at the bar and eyed the blonde who'd just come in. She'd ordered a scotch and nursed it. Smiling to her self.

John sat beside her when he noticed she'd finished her drink. "Can I buy you another?"

"Yeah sure why the hell not," Kate Lockley turned to the good looking older man hitting on her, and smiled manically. "You ever get the feeling when you know tomorrow is just going to be a great day?"

AN: Next chapter last chapter I'm pretty certain


	8. All those hopes down the drain

All those hopes down the drain 

Part One

Faith knocked on the bathroom. "Can I come in?" 

"Sure sweetheart." Dean unlocked the door for her.

He looked at her in her warm, winter red pj's and thought anew how cute she looked. Her whole persona had changed slightly in the six months since he had met her. She was less overtly sexual, more natural and relaxed.

Faith sat on the edge of the bath and watched him finish shaving. "You're up early."

'That's because I want to finish in time to pick you up at five." Dean thought how domestic it was, having a girl watch him shave.

"Happy birthday Faith, do you want twenty four spanks to help ya grow? My Dad used to do that when I was small, a spank for every year."

"I knew you had to have some kind of kink lurking." Faith smiled softly.

"Me? Nah I'm pretty basic babe." Dean told her. "You have a low opinion of guys don't you?"

"I…I guess not that many nice guys have come my way. Riley's seems straight but he's been to the dark side and back." Faith reflected. "My friends who died this year they were good guys but major kink with them. Not with me and them. I never screwed either of them, guess it's why they could be my friends."

"How did they die? Car accident?" Dean packed up his shaving gear.

"You know that freak gas leak explosion outside that L.A. law firm in May this year? They died in that." Faith explained.

"I thought you hated lawyers." Dean said.

"They weren't lawyers, they just worked there."

"You don't think you can have sex with a friend?" Dean queried. "That's kinda sad, I thought we were pals?"

"Yeah we are, but we slept together first." Faith explained. "I don't know why we get along so good."

Dean pulled her off the bath and kissed her. She tasted of her morning coffee. "Chemistry, a whole freakin science lab full," he explained. "Do you want your present now or later?"

"Now!" Faith bit her lip in pleasure. "You didn't need to get me a present."

"I knew you wouldn't be into delayed gratification." Dean reached into his overnight bag and pulled out a small gift wrapped box.

"What is it?" Faith asked intrigued.

"A surprise," Dean put it back in his bag. "You're getting your presents tonight." He took her into his arms again, "Now how about a kiss good bye huh?"

Part two

"Do not disturb" the sign on his fathers door read. Dean hoped his old man didn't have a hangover. It was nine o'clock, time to rise and shine.

Dean strolled into the motel room and was surprised as hell to see his father banging some blonde in her thirties, doggie style on the bed.

"Bad time Sir?" Dean shot out dangerously. He stepped backwards and closed the door.

Dean leaned on the wall outside and grinned to himself. Maybe the old man would be a bit more cheerful today, seeing he had gotten some.

John Winchester came outside six minutes later.

"Was that my new Mommy Sir?" Dean cocked a disrespectful eyebrow. He and John had been getting on each others nerves more and more, the past two months.

"Don't push it Dean." John snapped. "Can't you read 'do not disturb signs'?"

"As well as you can I guess." Dean shot back. The two men glared at each other, it was hard to conduct a sex life, when they often shared rooms and were on the move the whole time. "Who was that chick, a local?"

"Nah she's a private detective here tracing down a missing person." John explained, for that was what Kate had told him. "She's a nice lady. I don't want to talk about her."

"Right, well I'll wait in the car. I've got everything arranged with one of the forest rangers here."

John went back into his motel unit. Kate fully dressed, was fixing her make up in the bathroom.

"I'm sorry but I have to go Kate. You in town this evening?" John kissed the base of her throat.

"Hopefully not, but if I am I'll look you up." Kate promised. It had been good last night, she didn't normally do that kind of thing.

They walked out together and John kissed her goodbye awkwardly, knowing Dean was waiting impatiently in the Impala.

Dean and John picked up the forest ranger and drove to where the Wendigo was meant to be located.

Dean got his flashlight and strode into a cave. There were human bones scattered around, it was obviously the right place.

Dean checked his watch ten thirty am.

"Okay you son of a bitch!" Dean yelled urgently. He was not going to miss the chance of having some private time with Faith later that evening. "Here I am, chow time come and get it!"

John and the Ranger clutched their flare guns, amazed at Dean's recklessness. 

Something blurred faster than was visible to the naked eye and launched itself on Dean.

"Dean!" John shouted in anguish.

Dean didn't have time to set his flare gun off. He wrestled with the evil creature, receiving nasty scratches on the face and arms.

His father and the ranger set fire to the Wendigo with their flare guns. With a roar of outraged pain, the creature got off Dean and turned on the other two men.

Staggering upright Dean shot his flare gun into the base of the Wendigo's neck. The creature howled, staggered and died.

"Great." Declared Dean satisfied, lowering his flare gun. Shit, his arms hurt.

"You stupid idiot!" Jesus Christ, John had thought Dean was going to be killed. His frightened father began to berate him in front of the discomforted ranger.

"I know why you did something so fucking risky! It's that to get into that girls pants!"

"Relax Dad." Dean pacified. "I knew you'd watch out for me. You can kill Wendigos with your arm tied behind your back"

"Thank you both of you." The ranger interrupted. "I don't know what this community would have done without you. It was starting to pick us off one by one. I tried every agency even the National Guard, but no one would believe or help us."

Part Three.

Faith and her friends gathered round the two dead naked bodies of the F.B.I. agents, they'd found up a clump of trees. Their car had been rolled down a gully and set fire to.

Sam looked at the corpses closely. "Well their blood has totally been drained. I'd say four vampires fed but there are only meant to be two. There are only two types of teeth marks. A female and a male vampire. Wouldn't you say Andrew?"

Andrew nodded in agreement and put away his measuring devices. "Only two types of teeth marks so two very hungry vampires. Hungry no more."

Rona took out her axe and chopped off the two F.B.I. agents heads, just in case they'd be turned. It was doubtful but better safe than sorry.

"So they'll be full and sleepy." Vi reasoned. "If it's only two vamps we should split up into two groups. You and Miller go find the vampires Faith. The rest of us will tackle this Wendigo the National Guard told us about."

"It's eleven hundred by me." Miller said. "We'll call in with each other in an hour huh?"

Faith and Miller started to explore the near by caves, and look in the ground for hastily dug graves. Some vampires living rough, burrowed in the soil for protection from the sun.

Faith and Miller had discovered they worked very well together in Ecuador a few months back. For the past two months Riley and Sam had been following the three slayers and Andrew round Central America dispatching demons. Miller had been coming in and out of their team since May.

In 2005 they were going down to Bolivia and Peru to hunt down demons for a year. The South American countries governments had just granted permission. Miller was going to join their team permanently, along with four other soldiers who specialised in the paranormal.

Faith pulled some snowy branches back from a hidden cave. Miller might have all the technical, electronic detecting shit in the world. Faith had her gut instinct as a slayer to work with.

Faith walked into the cave more cautiously than she would have six years ago at eighteen.

Her slayer instincts were starting to scream danger. Miller beckoned his head down the cave. She could tell he was wary of this set up as well. That's why she liked working with him, he followed his gut instinct in combat situations.

Miller had a crossbow with him. He hated fighting vampires, they were strong, and modern weapons didn't work on them.

Faith looked up to the ceiling. Four skinny, hungry looking, wide awake vampires dropped on them. Two pairs of identical twins. That was why the bite marks were the same.

The two male vampires went for Miller, the two female vampires Faith. Faith felt their fangs on her body immediately as she was knocked to the ground, one at her neck the other her wrist. They were obviously starving.

It was disgusting and painful having her blood sucked. Faith plunged her stake into the back of the one at her throat. That vamp was the most life immediately life threatening to Faith and Faith exploded her into dust.

Miller had fired his crossbow at the nearest descending undead but missed the heart. Nearer the entrance than Faith, Miller had flung himself backwards out of the cave, into the sunlight.

Miller lay on his back in the snow and sprang up. He went back to the cave entrance, remaining standing in the protective sunlight, Miller aimed his crossbow at the male vampire nearest to him.

The vampire exploded into dust. The last two vampires were fighting with Faith, who was losing a lot of blood due to her neck and wrist wounds.

Faith managed to stake the remaining female one. She was starting to feel woozy with blood loss from her wrist. The smell of her blood inflamed the remaining male vampire, making him lose his reason. The vamp went to sink his teeth in her neck once more and exploded into dust as Miller shot him in the back.

Faith let Miller lead her out into the sun. He quickly tourniquet-ed and bandaged her wounds with the mini field kit he carried.

Faith glanced up at him wide eyed. "Shit am I losing my skills? I've never been bitten before by a vampire before. Well not by accident."

Miller raised his eyebrows.

"Long story," Faith dismissed her last comment. "Slayers don't normally live past twenty–five maybe this is my last year in the field? Do ya think I'll make that slayer heaven, Buffy made that time?"

"Don't be freaking morbid." Miller told her uncomfortably. "I'm still alive, I'm twenty-eight and I don't have your strength. Those olden day slayers they fought alone right?"

"Yeah always me, myself and I types." Faith agreed weakly.

"Well I've got your back and so has everyone else in the Freaking "Rodent Control Unit". Miller teased her, helping her to her feet. "I'd say you'll be around being a pain in my ass for a long time to come. Twenty-four is just the start of everything for ya Faith, not the end, darlin'."

"Did you know Dean got me a present?" Faith mentioned excitedly.

Miller helped her back to their SUV parked on the side of the road. God she had it bad for this guy she knew nothing about it and the girl didn't even realise it.

Faith went on. "The last boyfriend who got me a birthday present got me edible chocolate underwear and for Christmas a tube of pimple cream."

Miller laughed in spite of himself. "So is that what Winchester is, your boyfriend?"

Miller got out the advanced first aid kit and began tending to Faith's wounds properly.

"No…." Faith confessed. "But he's nice to me."

"Hell Faith, there's a whole world of guys who'd be nice to you if you just gave us, them a chance." Miller chided.

Faith remembered Robin Woods had said something very similar to her before he had died. Also about surprises. Dean was getting her a surprise.

Miller was rougher than he intended with the combination antiseptic and holy water lotion, he was cleaning her neck wounds with. Faith winced.

"Don't pin your hopes on Winchester. He's hiding something okay? I just don't want you to get hurt." Miller slowed down and made sure he was as gentle as possible with her wounds. After all Miller would never deliberately hurt Faith.

"Don't worry about me Miller. I'm the love them and leave them type. I don't get hurt." Faith reminded the soldier.

"Sure ya do." Miller gently corrected her. Thinking back over the times this year he had seen Faith looking down over a one night stand with some guy or another, who never gave her a second thought.

One Ecuadorian stud had snubbed her in the street the next day. Miller could have throttled the bastard.

"The more you change, the more casual sex is hurting you Faith. You're not the same person you were at eighteen so why do the same dumb things?" He finished treating her wounds. "Here endeth the lesson."

His cell phone rang. "Uhuh. Uhuhuh. Ya kidding? Yeah we're okay, Faith got chewed but she'll live. They're dust. See ya back at the cabin Riley."

"Others find the Wendigo?" Faith checked her neck in the car vanity mirror. God how was she going to explain that to Dean?

Miller starting cleaning the blood splashes off her skin. "Bizarre. Someone had killed it already apparently. It's hell bound corpse was smouldering in its lair."

Part Four.

Kate sat in the hairdressers furiously. She was having her roots done. Why? Because the cabin rental place she needed to find Faiths address from, was frickin closed. Due to a funeral and wouldn't reopen till the next day. Apparently the owners had been eaten by a bear or some such crap.

Part Five

Dean knocked on the cabin door and entered the living room. He was wondering how he was going to explain his face and arm wounds.

Faith was sitting quietly on the couch playing checkers with Rona.

"What the hell happened to you?" Faith and Dean both uttered simultaneously, shocked at the others appearance.

"Raccoon," Faith explained. "We went for a walk in the freakin woods. This little fucker jumped out of a tree and just went for me. It was rabid. Sam's a doctor. She gave me a rabies shot."

"Sweetheart that's no good," Dean said concerned. "It looks nasty." Crap, Dean was going to say a rabid raccoon. That was his damn cover story

"What happened to you then? It looks like you were attacked by a wild animal." Faith returned. "You might scar."

Dean knew he wouldn't scar. His father had washed his wounds with holy water. "Maybe, I heal well. Uh I got caught up with a hibernating black mother bear defending her cubs."

Rona was distraught." Oh you didn't kill them did you?"

"No, no they're alive. I don't wanna to talk about it." Dean cut her off. "You ready to go?"

Faith put her coat on. "I'll see you back at seven Rona."

Faith and Dean walked to the car in the moody silence they did so well. They both knew the other was lying about how they got their injuries.

This meant everything else they'd thought odd about the other was mostly likely lies too. Dean almost preferred the times when he'd thought Faith was a lunatic.

"There was no black bear." Faith burst out crossly, as soon as she was inside Dean's SUV. "Rona was reading wildlife brochures in the general store here, and insisted on sharing. They hibernate in December, if you were dogfish fishing or whatever, how did you come across freakin bears?"

"I said I didn't want to talk about it. And what the hell is Sam a freakin vet? She can diagnose Rabies by sight? Let's just leave it okay. No explanations we don't want to give." Dean suggested. "My dad was in the Marines, he said there are no Rodent Control Units."

"Well it's not like we owe each other anything." Faith muttered.

"Exactly," Dean agreed, trying hard to be reasonable. "What would you like to do for two hours?"

"I would have said make out, but my necks sore and I still feel kinda mad at you."

"Do you wanna shoot some pool at the bar?"

Faith and Dean walked into the town's one bar. Dean spotted his father drinking with his blonde. John's hand on her knee.

Dean turned to Faith to suggest they joined them. Faith was standing transfixed with horror staring at Kate. Faith pulled on Dean's arm. "We need to leave."

"What the hell?" Dean walked out on the street with her.

Faith walked back to his SUV. "Let's drive to the next town. It's only fifteen minutes."

Dean unlocked the doors and got in. He didn't start the engine. "Okay how do you know that blonde my Dad's with?"

"She's a stalker. She knew one of my friends who died. She was his girlfriend. Complete nutcase and she stalks me. She's insane." Faith invented wildly.

"She told Dad she was a private detective trying to track down a missing person."

"That's a good story."

Dean started the engine. "So is yours sweetheart."

"Are we going to ruin tonight being mad at each other? I'm going to have to leave tomorrow morning now, because of that damn bitch." Faith spat, frustrated.

"No!" Dean felt very disappointed. "Faith I could have spent the next two days with you!"

"Fuck, why do I even bother trying to go straight?" Faith groaned, banging her head on the dashboard in misery.

"What?" Dean said alarmed. "Don't do that Faith you might reopen your 'Raccoon bite'.

"Straight I used to be gay." Faith floundered, sitting upright again.

"Christ, enough!" Dean slammed on the brakes and pulled over onto the side of the highway.

"One night left for us Faith, don't bother to lie to me anymore." Dean demanded of her angrily. "Shit I like you so much. I've hated lying to you about what I do this week and I'm beginning to think you have to."

"I have, but I can't tell you what I do Dean it's classified."

"Well the last girl I cared about couldn't handle the truth about me." Dean retorted. "So we're even."

"I could handle the truth." Faith protested near tears. He cared about her?

"Shit Faith… sweetheart." Dean kissed her carefully, mindful of her neck. He broke away and brushed away the salty wetness on her cheeks. "Don't cry baby."

Faith kissed him back hungrily not caring about the pain. She needed to be close to him. How could she bear to say good-bye to Dean tomorrow?

Part Six.

"Happy birthday dear Faith." everyone chorused.

Faith blew out her candles a wax 2 and 4 and jumped back alarmed as they re-lit them selves.

Rona and Vi giggled, they had got relighting candles at a joke shop in Bangor.

"Did you make a wish honey?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, win the state lottery." Faith said, pleased with her wish choice.

"It won't come true, now you've told Faith." Riley was appalled at her ignorance of day to day things sometimes.

"For real?" Faith was disbelieving. "Darn."

Dean kissed her forehead to cheer her up and gave her a reassuring hug. She was so god damn sweet. Faith cuddled into him.

A bout of oral satisfaction for her and manual relief for Dean in the SUV had eased all tension between them. The couple (they acknowledged that's what they were, for tonight at least) were determined to enjoy their last night together.

"There's still your presents Faith." Sam said lifting a box onto the table.

"Oh wow!" Faith was overwhelmed. She put her hand in and drew out a small parcel.

Faith unwrapped it. "A book on South American witchcraft! Hey thanks Andrew that's real useful." She kissed him on the cheek.

Dean decided to let that remark float over his head.

Faith put her hand in again and got another package. "Sam and Riley you got me a card!" Faith read it first. She smiled. "Thanks youse guys that's wicked fine." The gift was a manicure set.

"You have to give us a dime so our ties of friendship aren't cut." Riley explained to Faith. "Because of the nail scissors."

"Finn how superstitious are you down in Iowa man?" Miller scoffed at his best bud.

Faith went and got a dime and passed it to Sam. Hugging the Finns.

"Obviously as medieval as in Massachusetts," Miller commented to Dean dryly.

"Don't be freakin' mean." Faith pulled out her next present. It was from Miller. It had a little note attached. She read it and blushed. Dean wondered what the note said. The present was a Mexican turquoise bracelet.

"That's good luck. Turquoise is your birth stone." Riley informed Faith as she pecked Miller chastely on the cheek.

"No more reading my Cosmopolitans honey." Sam instructed her husband.

Dean's present was next. Faith unwrapped a bottle of Chanel no 5. She was flabbergasted. This was light years from edible underwear. "How did you know?"

"I asked Sam what perfume to get you and she said you'd been given a sample in a store once and liked it." Dean admitted, accepting her kiss of thanks.

Faith lifted the last present out of the box. It was the heaviest and from Vi and Rona. It was the crossbow she had admired in Wichita. "Oh this is a thing of beauty."

Part Seven

"Okay that's shoots and ladders." Sam said as they finished the drinking game. "What next? Coffee?"

"One more drinking game." Vi begged. "How about 'I never'?"

"How about never playing it?" Miller suggested.

"Come on no matter who drinks, we don't comment ,and we don't mention it the next day." Rona wheedled eagerly.

"Well you've just gone eighteen. What have you got to hide?" Miller pointed out.

"Not as much as you soldier boy." Rona teased.

Glasses were poured and everyone sat cross legged on the floor.

"I've never been to Disneyland." East Coast Rona said. Faith, Dean and Riley drank.

"I've never had a threesome." Vi contributed chuckling.

"Any freakin day now, if you keep up your drinking Vi." Faith remarked, drinking along with Dean, Sam and Andrew.

Riley pursed his lips in disapproval at Sam.

"I've never waxed my legs." Dean volunteered.

All the girls and Andrew drank.

"I've never been married." Andrew said cheerfully.

The Finns clinked glasses and everyone else stared at Faith and Dean downing their shots.

"I've never been divorced." Sam said instantly.

No one drank.

"My god did you two go get married this evening?" Vi squealed excitedly to Faith and Dean.

"No." Faith said. "We're not married to each other period and if you comment again Vi on anything, I'm not playing this dumb game anymore."

"Sorry." 

"I've never been shot." Sam volunteered.

Dean, Riley, Miller, and Rona drank.

"I've never told any one I loved them when having sex." Faith offered.

Everyone but Andrew drank. Dean felt bad for Faith.

"I've never been to Europe." Riley stated.

Everyone but Sam and Andrew drank.

"Christ you're not going to get very drunk Andrew." Faith laughed. "I've never stolen a car."

Dean drank alone.

Dean felt he had to get it in perspective. "Hey I've never murdered anyone."

Faith and Andrew raised their glasses to each other in a macabre toast.

Faith tried to be casual, "Mark of Cain, Andrew lover." But her voice caught.

What right did Faith have to be enjoying herself tonight? She had killed two men the first one was a genuine mistake, but the vulcanologist she had deliberately murdered and got off on it.

Andrew looked sick as if remembering terrible things.

Who the fuck were these people? Dean wondered completely shocked. He hadn't said 'killed', he'd thought Finn or Miller could have killed an enemy soldier. He'd chosen the word 'murder' deliberately because it seemed so unlikely.

"Let's put on coffee Sam." Riley said distressed. They had all forgiven Faith and Andrew but he knew the pair had yet to truly forgive themselves.

"You got any of those cigars left Miller?" Faith requested. "Those mini ones like cigarettes?"

"On the bench," Miller told her, glaring at Dean for ruining the evening. Miller knew it wasn't Dean's fault exactly, but he was still angry at Winchester.

Faith went outside and lit up. Ugh, so strong not like a cigarette at all. It was freezing out here too.

"Faith I'm sorry..." Dean came out and tried to put his arm round her. She shrugged him off irritated.

"Don't be, you never murdered anyone I did." Faith tried to inhale the cigar smoke like a cigarette, and coughed. "Fucking thing!" she threw it away pissed off.

"That's why your Dad's lady friend wants me you see. Lockley thinks she's some kind of bounty hunter without the bounty. I never went to college I was in prison for two years." Faith faced him, twisting her mouth ironically.

"Still think I'm one of the nicest girls you've ever met? Still really like me Dean?"

AN: Last chapter next chapter I promise.


	9. Never be the same again

You'll never be the same again Part One 

Part One

"Still think I'm one of the nicest girls you've ever met? Still really like me Dean?"

Dean stood still facing her. He didn't know what to think anymore. He didn't know what to say, what to do. This was totally outside of his experience of life to date.

"I don't know what I feel about you right now." Dean admitted warily. "You'd have to be honest with me."

"How can I be honest with you, when you aren't honest with me?" Faith returned, feeling trapped by the circular nature of their predicament. "I'm going to bed Dean. I need to be up early tomorrow, so I can get away. I guess it was good while it lasted huh?"

"Yeah Faith whatever the hell we had."

Part Two

North Houston Texas

December 25th 2004

Faith sat with Vi's large family round their huge dining table. Aware of the family Labrador begging under the table. This was her second Christmas with Vi's family and less scary than the first.

Vi's Mom and Stepfather were warm, friendly people, if slightly chaotic. In Vi's home she was just another welcome waif and stray that their house was always open to.

Faith made polite conversation over a poinsettia festively decorating the table, with Vi's grandma.

"I here you and Vi are going to a high society New Years costume party." Vi's grandma chatted away excited.

"Yeah, don't know what I'll go as." Faith said. Maybe she should go as a convict. Faith thought to herself. Striped pj's, fake ball and chain with a big sign round her neck, labeled 'murderer'.

"Well hon, seeing you're from Massachusetts and all, I have a darlin' outfit from Halloween two years ago. Vi's cousin wore it, she's you're size. Go as a Salem witch. It would be real cute with your accent."

'Yeah, except I'm a Southey from Boston." Faith could sense the sweet old lady's instant disappointment. Vi's grandma had always been lovely to Faith. She couldn't bear to hurt her feelings. "Thanks it would be wicked." Faith said dispiritedly.

A witch, maybe that was appropriate for her. Perhaps she could wear a big fake nose with a wart, and never touch another man again.

"You're a looker hon." Vi's grandma twinkled. "This dress will look swell on you. Any young fella ya hoping to catch?"

"He'd never be at this party." Faith toyed with her food.

"You all choked up about someone honey?" Vi's grandma sympathized. "You seem different from when we last met. Softer but sadder. Why don't you and Vi come round tomorrow and pick your outfits and you and me have a big old heart to heart?"

Part Three

25th December 2004  
Louisiana

Dean got out of bed sneakily, trying not to disturb the red headed girl still sleeping there. Redheaded, big breasted, Indy had been a screamer, not because she was getting off on what Dean was doing to her. The silly girl was under the impression over usage of lung power made her seem more passionate.

God he missed Faith. It had been eight days since he had seen her last. Dean had hoped Indy might wipe Faith out of his head. It just made Dean's longing for his dark haired lover worse.

Dean left the bedroom quietly and entered the main room of the apartment. He saw the girl's roommate in the kitchen sitting at the table. He and his father had been helping the room mate Jemima with a possession she had discovered.

Jemima was a psychic and worked as a tarot card reader over the phone.

"Merry Christmas Dean." Jemima said to him. "You musta had a good time with Indy last night judging by her frickin' screaming. Or ya stabbed her."

"A gentleman never tells." Dean helped himself to coffee from the pot on the stove, and sat down at the table with her. "What are ya doing?"

"Reading ma cards, working out if it's worth ma while turning up to ma folks for Christmas dinner or not." Jemima frowned. "I don't think I'll bother."

Jemima reshuffled her pack and gave them to Dean. "Shuffle and I'll do yours Dean honey. Freebie for helping me out with ma demon infested co-worker. Focus on a question ya want answered."

Dean shuffled indulgently and gave her back the pack.

"So what d'ya wanna know?"

Dean couldn't believe he was doing this. "There's this crazy girl, I keep running into her…will I ever see her again?"

"Hmm, what does she look like?"

"She's…attractive, dark hair, brown eyes, very athletic, medium height. Wears too much eyeliner."

Jemima spread the worn cards on the table. She put her head to her hand and contemplated the backs of the cards and then turned them over rapidly sorting them into a twelve card cross.

"Oh that's mighty interesting." Jemima peered at the cards once more. "Right, this girl you care about her, but you're not in love. You're wary of her. Cautious. She had a dark past and she's awful confused. Ya can make her happy. Ya have a chance to change her life. You'll meet her again soon and then not for a long time. Ya don't have a shared destiny."

Jemima looked at him shrewdly. "Ya seem disappointed honey. I told ya, ya care about her Dean, but you're not in love with her. Remember that. When the time comes don't be selfish Dean."

Part Four

3Oth January 2004  
Beaumont Texas

The two attractive girls disembarking from the Greyhound bus, were getting many appreciative glances from the men waiting round at the Beaumont bus terminal.

A BMW up pulled up and a handsome man in his late twenties stepped out. Military bearing stamped all over him. He pulled his sunglasses off and walked over to the girls.

"Seasons greetings ladies." Miller hugged them briefly. "I'm glad you could make it."

"A big fancy party before Bolivia?" Vi said pecking him on the cheek. "Wild horses couldn't drag me away."

"What about you Faith?" Miller took the girls bags out of ingrained habit. He knew they were stronger than him and his arms almost dropped off under the weight of their bags. He slung them in the back of his car.

"It's nice of your folks to have us." Faith said trying to be polite. "And I don't have to dress up as a naughty nurse so I'm good."

Miller let the chance to tease Faith about the comment slide. "My mom is looking forward to you girls stay. Three sons, no daughters don't let her corral you."

Faith and Vi weren't quite expecting the huge two storey house Miller pulled up in front of. They'd heard Millers father was a successful corporate lawyer, but the place screamed money.

Miller led them to the front door and unlocked it. "Mom," he called. "I've bought the girls."

"In here sugar" came a well bred southern drawl. "Bring them through."

Faith and Vi were led to a small cosy room, where an attractive woman in her late fifties was knitting by a fire place. She got up and shook their hands.

"Why aren't you two a picture? I can't imagine you both in the army."  
"They're not Mother they're independent contractors." Miller re-explained patiently.

"Let me show you your rooms." Mrs Miller led them upstairs, past walls framed with family photos going back to the civil war. "I found the cutest towels on sale the other month, you have to tell me what you think."

Faith felt uncomfortable already. Vi's mom was a harried social worker, her husband a firefighter and their house was small and shabby. Faith had shared Vi's room, sleeping on her floor the past week. She didn't want to be offend Millers Mom, but how was going to avoid it in the next two days?

"You'll want to freshen up I'm sure after your long bus journey." Mrs Miller said. "I've never been on a Greyhound. Always fly. Here's your room Vi."

"Oh cool!" Vi danced round the pioneer themed room in ecstasy. "My own en-suite!"

Miller put Vi's bag down gratefully. He was sure it was laden with weapons, possibly a small Japanese car as well.

"Do you like the towels honey?" Mrs Miller inquired. "I think the shade matches the bathroom exactly don't you?"

"Yeah and the toilet paper and soap. I guess you're an artist into colors and stuff?" Vi suggested.

"I dabble, went to art school. It was where I met Graham's father at a party in my dorm." Mrs Miller smiled romantically. "He was a very handsome, idealistic law student. My daddy didn't approve."

Mrs Miller showed Faith to her room. It was done in an oriental style.

"This is great Mrs Miller." Faith said genuinely impressed. "I love this."

"The way Graham described you, I thought you would." Mrs Miller said satisfied.

Faith glanced at Miller. Described her?

"I'm putting the Finns in my oldest boys Donald's room." Mrs Miller went on. "They're only here one night tomorrow and we only have two guest rooms."

Vi winked at Faith. Only two guest rooms? Dear lord the deprivation.

Faith and Vi 'freshened up' and went down for afternoon coffee.

"You girls have to try this cake its my grandma's recipe. Do you like baking?" Mrs Miller poured them coffee.

"Um, I don't think I've ever done any, apart from Home Economics in Middle School once." Faith confessed, picking at her frosting. "I forgot to put the baking soda in." she'd been stoned on marijuana that day, Faith remembered and had burnt her hand getting her flat cake out of the oven.

"My mom and I hate baking, but we like other people's." Vi, said taking another slice. "This is great." She mumbled with her mouth full.

"Graham likes baking don't you dear?" Mrs Miller said. "Don't be shy darling you have a light hand. He's very good."

Miller shook his head in embarrassment. "Thanks Mom. Don't share that with Riley okay?"

"I just love Riley and Sam." Mrs Miller went on, "Such a lovely young couple. So you two girls have a beau?"

"Spinsterhood's working out for me just fine." Faith said putting her plate back.

"A girl as pretty as you? Hard to believe," Mrs Miller said. "The young men must be blind."

"Oh they notice her." Miller said taking in Faith's figure hugging red sweater and tight blue jeans. Hell he noticed her all the time.

Part Five

The Millers took the girls to their country club that evening to meet the locals as they put it.

Faith had a hard game of squash with Miller's brother, who had his nose severely put out of joint to find himself thrashed by her.

"I thought you never played before!" he accused her petulantly.

"Beginners luck." Faith tried to explain away her victory. She had had to borrow a pair of shoes from Mrs Miller and her big toe was beginning to blister.

She limped to a bench surrounded by miniature palms and overheard Mr and Mrs Miller talking about her and Vi.

"He's sweet on one of them, and I think it's Faith." Mrs Miller argued with her husband.

"She has a tattoo on her arm Sandy! I saw it in a snapshot he sent us from Ecuador. It must be the bubbly one instead."

"Maybe it's one of those wash off ones." Mrs Miller suggested. "Faith seems shy."

"Can you imagine a girl like that in the family?" Mr Miller chuckled amused. "She's just keeping quiet, she's not shy."

I am freakin shy! Faith thought indignantly. She had barely opened her mouth that afternoon and evening, because she hadn't wanted to put her foot in it. Worried she was going to swear or offend. Faith wasn't in to shocking peoples parents. She had always wanted Mrs Summers to like her. Faith had always wanted to be approved of, right from the time she was a little girl because no one, especially her mother seemed to.

Faith limped off, the last thing she wanted them to think was that she was an eavesdropper as well as white trash.

Miller came over to her, noticing her hopping along. "Mom's shoes too tight?"

"Yeah. How long are we staying?" Faith wanted to know. Let this hell on earth end soon, she prayed.

"Well its drinks now, don't get too tanked." Miller warned her. "You're in for heavy drinking tomorrow."

Faith put her hand on Millers shoulder for balance and carefully took off her shoes. She didn't care if Miller was exposed to her sweaty feet, she was always comfortable around him. "I think my toes bleeding."

"You're right." Miller confirmed dismayed. The poor girl, it looked painful. "You can't go barefoot, go get changed. I hear you kicked Douglas the Fourth's ass at squash."

"Is that okay?' Faith checked. "Does it blow our cover?"

"Dougie's a retard even if he is my brother." Miller grinned. "I wish I coulda seen it."

Part Six

Beaumont Texas

Dean and his father sat in a servant's room in a mansion, their allocated quarters for the next two days. Going over the facts of their latest project. This rich oil baron wanted them to break a curse on a haunted picture, coming to life at midnight, New Years Eve.

The guy had inherited the portrait of a Confederate Colonel from his cousin. The female slave in the picture, was the one that came to life. Apparently she would kill someone if a party was being held. The Colonel was an ancestor of the oil baron and the Oil Baron didn't want to get rid of the picture.

Texas on New Years Eve. Dean wandered what Faith was doing tomorrow night? Where was she?

Part Seven  
Beaumont Texas

Kate sat in her hotel room brooding, at last she had managed to track down her targets whereabouts. Kate would be confronting them tomorrow on New Years Eve. The shit was going to hit the fan then.

Part Eight

"You all feel like a round of golf today?" Mr Miller said to everyone at breakfast that morning. "Can you girls play?"

"I'm good at mini-golf." Faith passed Dougie the milk. "Is it kinda the same?"

"In principle." Miller supposed. "Dad's a pro, paid his way through college playing competition golf."

Vi and Faith trailed round the golf course together. "I wanna whip Mr Millers mean old ass today." Vi said to Faith.

"You don't like him?" Faith said surprised to her. "He seems to like you."

"He's so patronizing Faith. Mrs Millers nice but the rest of Millers family is kinda gruesome doncha think?" Vi asked her. "I think Mr Miller thinks I'm after Miller, as if, he's way too old for me. Mr Miller should be worried about you."

"Me?" Faith pulled their golf bag along. "Why the hell would Lawyer-dad be worried about me?"

"I've always thought Miller was sweet on you. Where are you're slayer senses girlfriend?" Vi laughed. "He's always looking at you, when he thinks you're not looking at him."

Mrs Miller came out of the bush with her golf ball. "Sorry about that girls." She apologized. "I swear, Graham's father just likes to win at all costs. That's why he suggested girls against boys today. He knows I'm just hopeless at this darn game."

"Gee." Vi said smiling evily. "Guess we'll just have to channel girl power huh Faith?"

"Didya have to whip our asses so thoroughly?" Miller complained to Faith late that afternoon back at his home. His parents were having a lie down to be fresh for the party. Vi and Dougie were out in the garden playing totem tennis.

Faith put down the family photo she'd been looking at, on the piano. "It was Vi's idea."

"You've been awful quiet. Don't you like it here? Dad being a pain?" Miller asked worried. He had wanted his parents and Faith to get on. "He gets these prejudices."

"He has my number that's all." Faith played idly with the piano keys. "Criminal white trash."

"Don't be plain dumb." Miller said crossly. "I'm picking up Riley and Sam, come with?"

"Yeah sure," Faith moved to go.

"Hold on, you've got a twig in your hair from golf." Miller removed it. His hands gentle. She had such lovely long brown hair. He had always admired it. One day he intended to run his fingers through it.

Part Nine

Everyone came down stairs in their costumes at eight. Mrs Miller had her housekeeper take photos.

Mrs Miller was a southern belle, all the Miller men Confederate officers.

Vi was a Dallas cowboy cheerleader.

Sam and Riley, Snow White and Prince Charming. They were truly nauseating as a couple sometimes.

Faith looked like no puritan that had ever lived.

"Does that outfit show enough cleavage for you?" Riley asked. "You look precarious." Sam slapped him playfully on his arm.

"I'm meant to look witchy." Faith protested. "Vi's grandma altered this for me. She had to take up the hem."

"Did she take up the bodice too?" Miller teased. "You look great Faith." He quickly reassured her, straining heroically not to stare too closely at her breasts.

"Well group photo." Mrs Miller insisted. "Boys take the girls arms."

"Your Mom said arm, not ass Dougie." Vi hissed, at Miller's college stud brother.

Part Ten

Vi and Faith wandered round Mrs Millers 'Daddy's' house trying not to look like sightseers at the White House.

"Shit this place is huge." Faith commented. "He made it all on oil apparently. But his family goes way back around these parts apparently. They used to keep slaves yuck." Faith's family hadn't liked 'Negroes' much but they had been ardent trade unionists.

"I'd keep that opinion to myself at this party." Vi suggested. "Why do you think Rona turned down the invite? Do you see any black guests here?"

"No. You're family's not like that Vi."

"My grandparents used to belong to the N.A.A.C.P., we're screaming liberals didn't ya figure that out?"

"I did kinda suspect." Faith grinned, why was she bothering to feel inferior to these people? She linked her arm through Vi's and led her younger friend back to the main party room. "We're hot chicks with super powers baby. Let's party huh?"

The two slayers came up to Sam alone by the punch bowl with an expression on her face the girls had never seen before.

"What's up Sammie?" Vi helped her self to punch.

"I've just been snubbed!" Sam shook her head in disbelief. "My grandmother came from this county and was black. I mentioned her family, and Dougie and his friends just cut me. Cut me! It was so weird. My Granny was a passer and I can see why. I feel horrible, not for me but for Granny. They were just so mean."

"Sam that's bullshit!" Faith was furious. Sam was the nicest woman she had ever met. A true friend like Vi. Faith wasn't screwing up her female friendships like she had with Buffy. It was as if she'd been given a second chance at everything the past two years since Faith had got out of prison.

"Who were the people that did that?" Vi said angrily.

"They're over there on the dance floor." Sam gestured. "Dougie, Trip and their gal pals Bonnie and Heather. The girls were the worst, little bitches."

The four young people were dancing together without much rhythm to R.E.M.. The girls dressed as southern belles, were busy flirting with the boys dressed as Confederate Army officers.

Faith and Vi looked at each other and smiled. They put their heads with Sam's and hatched out a scheme.

"Payback's a bitch. You five by five with this Vi?" Faith checked with Vi six minutes later as they walked onto the dance floor.

"I'm just going to ask the DJ to put on something more appropriate to our plans." Vi giggled.

Miller walked into the main room with his grandfather and Riley. His grandfather had insisted on showing Riley his Civil War collection of firearms. Riley had been impressed. His ancestors had been in the Union army during the civil war, and his dad was a Re-enactment buff like Millers grandfather.

Billy Idols Rebel yell was playing and Faith and Vi were draped all over Dougie and Trip in a major slut fest. Dougie and Trip's two female companions were looking majorly pissed. Probably at the comments Faith and Vi were obviously shooting at them, as they danced with the young co-eds beaus.

Vi let out a Rebel yell with Billy Idol in time to the music. People were staring. A lot of young men had now moved onto the dance floor and it was very crowded.

"What the hell?" Miller said amazed to Riley. "Why is Faith all over my kid brother like a rash?"

"I hope it's not costume possession." Riley said worried. "That can happen."

Faith let Dougie's hand wander over her butt, confident in the knowledge it was for the greater good. "I can't see property of Bonnie on your uniform Doug baby." Faith said unbuttoning his jacket.

The music suddenly switched to 'The Tennessee Waltz.'

"Leave her to the big boys bro." A calm male voice suggested to Dougie.

You heard me, scram Douglas." Miller announced cruelly to his brother. He had come up behind them unawares and proceeded to take Faith firmly in his arms.

Dougie's eyes narrowed in anger, but he knew Miller could take him out in a fight in a minute. He walked off impotently, deciding his New Year's resolution would be to drop squash and take up Karate.

Faith spotted Riley waltzing with Vi.

"What the fuck are you playing at?" Miller whispered furiously, leading Faith round the dance floor and smiling at his family's neighbors and friends.

"Dougie was a bastard to Sam because her Grandmother was black." Faith told him, letting her self being led. "Vi and I had a good scheme going."

"To what, utterly humiliate him?" Miller guessed correctly. He held her tightly. "Dougie's just in with a bad crowd at the moment."

"Oh right, the rest of your family isn't like that I suppose. Would Rona have got invited to the country club?" Faith asked. He was hurting her waist. Miller noticed and softened his grip immediately. He didn't let her go.

"Seeing my Dad was instrumental in the seventies at getting the rules changed to that club, so Jews and Blacks could join, yeah Rona would have been welcome." Miller hissed at her, outraged at her unfairness. "If you just made a god damn effort to speak to my parents, you'd see they aren't as bad as you think. They probably think you're a cheap slut now."

"What the hell do you care if your parents and me like each other or not! Did ya invite me down here for some kind of fucking compatibility analysis?" Faith confronted him.

"Good leg work son." Miller's grandparents waltzed by them. "You maneuvered the little filly under the Mistletoe, house rules you can't leave till you've kissed her good." Miller's grandfather cackled with glee.

Faith had wondered why that spot on the dance floor was always occupied with a young couple making out.

Miller snorted impatiently. His grandparents would just stand there till he kissed her. Making people stare. Oh for Christ's sake. He gathered Faith's hair in his fist angrily and plunged his lips down on hers.

They both instinctively shut their eyes.

It was heaven, Faith decided. If kissing Dean had been like coming home, she was home already with Miller, lying naked on a rug in front of a burning, raging fire.

Miller's lips pressed against hers firmly, possessing her. Their mouths opened involuntarily. Their tongues met, circling, exploring urgently, tasting the punch and beer in each others mouth.

Miller ran his fingers through her hair, just like he had always hoped to, caressing her head. His hand pressed against the small of her back, pushing her body hard against his. He had been wanting this, wanting Faith for months.

Oh god, so this was what it was all about? Kissing someone you knew and cared about, trusted and respected, who obviously felt the same about you? Faith had never dreamed it could be so wonderful. No wonder the Finns were so puke-some.

Miller and Faith could have gone on kissing forever, if some idiot carrying a heavy mirror through the crowded dance floor hadn't crashed into them. Miller exclaimed in pain, as the mirror cut into his back.

Faith and Miller pulled slightly apart and peered breathlessly at the moron who had nearly pushed them over.

Dean rebalanced the mirror and stared in shock at Faith in Miller's arms.

"What the hell are you doing here?" All three of them burst out angrily at once.

AN: This is the last chapter part one in a way. It took more space than I thought.

I do not think all Texan's are racists or the Irish working class of Boston. This story is fiction remember. Fiction.


	10. part two

**You'll never be the same again Part Tw**o 

_Part One_

Faith slowly slid out of Miller's grasp. What was happening? Why was Dean here?

Dean rolled his eyes. What freakin lousy timing again! Faith had moved on quick. Now Dean realized why Miller had seemed cold to him at times up in Maine. Dean should have seen it before, Miller was in love with her. In love with her and Dean bet the dumb-ass still hadn't told her.

"What are you doing here? And what the hell are you doing with that mirror, it's a family heirloom." Miller was rigid with anger. Not quite believing his eyes.

Miller had finally managed to kiss Faith, something he had scheduled in his own mind for twelve o'clock. His grandfather had hurried that along. The girl of his dreams had been in his arms a minute ago, passionately responding to his kisses. Now this clown had to show up, like the proverbial bad penny.

"I'm working here tonight." Dean shrugged coolly, as if that explained everything.

"As what, the fucking caterer?" Faith scoffed. "Because I don't think this freakin castle Miller's grandparents own has wild buffalo running through it."

"Um yeah, I'm working as the caterer, um an assistant." Dean hedged. "No one wants to hunt over New Years Eve and…"

"Oh God, stop lying!" Faith clenched her fists. Dean was still as handsome as ever and looking at her with hurt hazel eyes. Well Faith was hurt too. He hadn't contacted her after they had parted. She and Dean had just had one of their sad desperate kisses and then Miller had driven her and Vi to Texas.

Miller and Vi had come through again for her. Not a word of complaint or judgment. Not caring their vacation in Maine had been cut short too.

Although that was that bitch's Kate Lockley's fault. Sam and Riley had told Faith Kate had come round to the cabin at eleven. The Finns had begged her to give up her insane vendetta against Faith. Kate hadn't seemed swayed in the slightest.

And what was the deal now with her and Miller? Faith wondered did Miller think she was girlfriend material? Him, with his safe upper class suburban background, and her with her alcoholic mother on welfare and everything else that went with urban poverty? She was kidding herself, Miller probably just wanted to screw her, same as every other male with a pulse. Well except Andrew of course.

"I can't tell you why I'm here. I'm kinda sworn to secrecy by my employer." Dean told her reluctantly. God Faith looked hot. That black dress was dynamite on her.

"Who is who exactly?" Miller demanded to know.

"That anal old guy over there," Dean gestured.

"My maternal grand-daddy! Jesus Christ, I knew you were some kind of con-artist… if you've ripped that sweet old man off." Miller took a step towards him threateningly.

"Shit I just don't have time for this." Dean apologized. He picked up the mirror. "See your Granddad if you don't believe me. I'll talk to you later Faith." Dean promised. He walked still struggling with the antique mirror.

"Did you ask him here?" Miller accused Faith. He had seen the way she had looked at Winchester, she obviously still had feelings for Dean. Why would one kiss with Miller cancel them out?

"Of course not, I'm surprised as you Miller." Faith said angrily, moving off the dance floor.  
Miller grabbed her arm. "Where the hell are you going?"

"To the bathroom I need to think."

"About Winchester right?" Miller fumed, clutching her arm in anger. "Do that Faith, dream away. I expect I'll see you two against a wall later in the evening, with his hands down your damn dress. Just don't come crying to me darlin' when he breaks your heart again."

Faith jerked his hand away. "Don't be a bastard Miller. Like you weren't planning on banging me against a wall, by the end of the night!"

"I wasn't planning…forget it, just forget it. It was just the mistletoe okay? Seasonal freakin' madness. I need to see my Grand-daddy." He walked away disgusted at her, at himself, at the whole god-damn universe.

"It's real stupid to have a man nearly thirty, say 'Grand-daddy'." Faith told him as a parting shot. "I just wanted you to fucking know that Graham!" she yelled after him.

People near her dancing glanced at Faith startled. They moved away from her. Had the girl in the slut witches costume been drinking?

"Fucking great." Faith muttered to herself. What else could go wrong tonight?

_Part Two_

Dean hurried with the mirror upstairs. He and his father were planning ringing the portrait with mirrors, hoping to get the ghost to jump into one if a standard exorcism didn't work. Then they would smash the mirror. Dean hoped the ghost didn't choose this one. Heirloom huh?

A cool blonde in crumpled ordinary street clothes came up the attic stairs. She looked pale and tired.

"Kate!" Dean said in surprise. He placed the mirror down.

"I really need to speak to…"Kate began but Dean cut her off.

"Yeah I know you want Faith." Dean said wearily. God, the blonde woman was a nut case. His father had told him Kate had weird ideas that Faith had mystical powers apparently.

Kate had told his father what Faith had done and it was bad. Dean had been shocked by it. Faith killed a guy on her bosses orders and killed some one else accidentally in a street fight. A bit Mafioso but not psychotic, Dean could tell Faith wasn't that person anymore. It had all happened nearly six years ago for God's sake when Faith was still a teenager.

"Faith is here?" Kate looked surprised. "I wanted to…hey!" Dean grabbed her and shoved her in a spare bedroom. They were on the attic level. All the servants had been evacuated from this floor. Dean turned the key in the lock. That should hold her. He needed to talk to Faith before Kate did.

_Part Three_

"Winchester's a what?" Miller couldn't believe his ears.

"A ghost hunter, son. Now it's nothing to get in a state over. He and his daddy come well recommended. If he didn't tell your little filly about it well, who can blame him? I can barely believe it my self. You're not serious about that girl are you son? She's just for fun right?"

"No she's not!" Miller loved his grandfather, but the old guy could be terrible sometimes. "And I need to tell her that."

"Well why are you a wasting time talking to an ugly old stick like me for?" Miller's grandfather smiled benevolently. He could tell the fool boy was in love with the little Yankee. Graham was so easy to manipulate. If his grandson was off chasing his true love, he wouldn't be sticking his nose into his Grand-daddy's private ghost business now would he?

"But what… is there a fucking ghost loose in the house?" Miller couldn't control himself.

"Language son. That gal of yours is mighty pretty in that there Puritan dress of hers, tempting is what she is. Don't you have a rival rooster in the hen-house now? I'd stake my claim." The oil baron shooed him away.

Shit, Miller had to tell Riley about the possible ghost. Then he could look for Faith. Miller planned on kissing her again and let Faith know that he didn't need plastic foliage to inspire him when he was around her. He'd tell Winchester to go to hell if he came sniffing around. He'd knock him to the floor.

Miller searched around the house and ran smack bang into Faith running in a corridor.

"Oh thank Christ!" Faith clutched his jacket in relief. Miller put his arms round her and pushed her hair back. Something had obviously happened.

"What's wrong darlin'?" he asked her tenderly. His heart melting at her obvious distress, he'd always have her back.

"I just ran into Sam in the bathroom." Faith gasped, completely relieved to see him. Miller could always be relied upon in a crisis.

"Those two bitch chicks we pissed off, they've persuaded Chip or Trip or whatever to slip a date rape drug in Vi's drink. She's going to get that threesome she always wanted and then some apparently. The drug won't knock her out but she might kill someone accidentally."

"Crap! Is Dougie in on this?" Miller and Faith hurried along the passage. The instinctive team together they always were.

"I don't know. Sam didn't mention him." Faith looked frantically round. "Where could they be?"

"Never having participated in a gang bang I couldn't say." Miller mentioned dryly. "This house and it's grounds are a large area to cover."

"You must have smoked grass in high school here right? Where did you go then?" Faith asked inspired.

"The green house." Miller pulled her along through French doors, and out into the garden. "Let's check there."

Vi looked blearily around her. God, four confederate soldiers, a quarterback and a pirate. Why were they taking her to the green house? She didn't think guys were into nature that much.  
What was Dougie yelling about? It was hard to concentrate on the fragrant plants. Their leaves were spiky. Vi giggled.

"Shit, guys come on think. She'll press charges." Dougie tried to reason with them.

"No she won't, she won't remember a thing." Trip grinned. "Don't be a kill joy Dougie. We're not going to hurt her. She'll enjoy it."

"She is off her face!" Dougie cried appalled. "Come on guys, what if she was your sister?"

" Don't be freaking perverse Dougie, that's a nauseating suggestion." The pirate drank out of his beer bottle. He was glad the girl was still awake it was less enjoyable when they were unconscious.

"I'ts plain sick!" Dougie did not want to say the next sentence, but he could never live with himself if he didn't. "I'm not letting you do it to her."

"How can you stop the five of us?" Trip grinned. "Look we'll let you watch and then you can join in later if you change your mind."

"Hold him back fella's." Two of the guys restrained the frantically struggling Dougie. Dougie fought like a wild thing. This girl was a guest in his house. Besides Dougie could never look his Mom in the eye if he stood by and let this happen to a girl.

Vi tuned in to their conversation, dear god were these jerks planning on raping her? What a joke. She began to giggle. She was so going to kick their scrawny asses.

"That's right Vi honey, relax we're all friends here." Trip approached her unbuckling his trousers.

Vi shot out her foot aiming for his groin. Disorientated with the drugs she slammed her foot in his legs instead, he fell over backwards.

"You little bitch!" Trip said landing painfully on his rump, his legs bruising from Vi's kick. He sprang up, going over to back hand her.

Dougie struggled like a mad thing, managing to free himself and slug the guy on his left. The guy who had been restraining him punched him hard in the jaw.

Faith and Miller slipped into the green house. Sneaking behind the foliage up to where the others were. Miller sent a silent prayer of thankfulness his brother wasn't in on this. Those bastards hitting his brother were going to pay. He clenched his jaw.

"You can't kill them either." Faith put a restraining hand on his arm. "You start fighting civilians… you're a trained killer remember?"

Trip managed to hit Vi across the face. Vi laughed. "You hit like a girl." She taunted swaying. She clenched her fist and punched wildly at his face. She connected with his nose and broke it. Blood poured out on Trip's jacket.

"That's how you hit." Vi demonstrated. She swayed again and held onto a planter box for support. Two of the men advanced towards her.

"What really crap odds guys." Faith said coming out into the open with Miller. "Five ugly retards on one decent guy and a stoned girl."

"Hey we weren't doing anything." The pirate said quickly dropping Dougie on the floor. "We were just fooling around."

"Get off my grandfathers property now and we won't press charges. Or I'll get his security guards to remove you by force and ring the cops." Miller said sounding bored by them.

Miller went over to his brother doubled up on the floor. God he'd never felt proud of Dougie before, it was a novel feeling. He helped his kid brother up. "You okay bud?"

The college boys slunk off into the night. They knew Miller was in the army and that girl he was with was sober enough to be a good witness against them.

Vi turned to Faith. "I think I'm gonna be sick." She threw up in the foliage. Faith held her friends shoulder length hair back, as Vi retched.

Riley and Sam came in. "God you guys alright? We saw those assholes leave."

"How did you know where we were?" asked Faith supporting Vi.

"I threatened Bonnie with a knife." Sam laughed. "It was a bread knife covered in a napkin. She didn't know the difference."

_Part Four_

Faith and Miller left Vi's in a bedroom with Sam and Riley keeping watch over her.

Faith turned to head back down to the party. Miller stopped her. He put his hand to her face. "I don't need Mistletoe as a reason to kiss you, not when..."

Faith put her fingers to his lips to stop him.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Happy New Year!" came a roar from the main room below them.

"Happy New Year Graham." Faith whispered, putting her arms round his neck and leaning up to kiss him. Miller bent his head down and they kissed for the second time that night.

Their kiss was more intense than before. Miller groaned with need leaning down on her, her breasts pressing against his chest. He heard her moan with desire as he kissed her with merciless onslaught.

A room, he had to get her into a room, before that clown Winchester, or a freakin ghost or anything else, damn well turned up. Miller fumbled behind a picture and grabbed a key. It unlocked the door to his grandfather's study. He unlocked it by feel, still kissing Faith and dragged her into the room.

The study was surprisingly cold, a draft was coming in from somewhere.

The door. Miller kicked it shut with the back of his foot. He sat on the edge of his grandfather's desk and pulled Faith between his outstretched legs. Faith pressed herself against the hard bulge in his pants and shivered as Miller starting to kiss and suck on her ear. His hand was entwined in her hair. He was murmuring something as he kissed her neck she couldn't make it out. Not 'I want you' something else. It was hard to concentrate, when all she wanted to do was tear his clothes off and ride him on his Grandfathers desk.

"I want you inside me." She whispered aloud as he kissed the swell of her breast greedily. She spoke in a louder tone. Trying to get Miller to focus for a second. "I want you inside me so much, but my condoms are in my handbag downstairs have you…?"

"Oh god Lehane is that you?" A sleepy female voice came from the armchair facing the window. "I guess if you're pausing for a safe sex talk, I can leave now."

"Lockley?" Faith stood back from Miller immediately and Miller switched on the desk lamp.  
Kate stood in front of them looking like she'd escaped a train wreck. Her face and hands were grazed, her hair was a mess and her clothes were ripped.

Christ thought Miller alarmed, his lust dampened as effectively as a cold bucket of cold water douses a campfire. Had his grand father invited all the gang rapists in the county tonight? "Are you all right Ms Lockley? Did someone do something to you?"

"Yeah." Kate pointed an accusing finger at Faith. "Her ex-husband locked me in a bedroom attic. I look like this, because I crawled out the window down the roof and came one floor down. I had to smash a window pane to get in and then found this door was locked too. It's too steep to climb down from this storey. I could have killed myself." Kate explained.

"Why didn't you shoot the door open?" Faith asked puzzled.

"I wasn't wearing my gun belt." Kate looked green. "Oh crap." She said, before she hit the floor in a swoon.

_Part Five_

"No. I'm telling you Luanne." The middle aged man said to his lover. "There's no one up here. The old coot gave all his servants the night off, paid accommodation and hired caterers. I swiped a master key to the doors on this floor."

"So we'll have the room to ourselves, that's so clever Rhett." The two lovers kissed frantically, tearing at each others clothes. This was tricky seeing Rhett was dressed as a tiger and Luanne an astronaut.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Happy New Year!" came a distant roar from the main room far below them.

Rhett and Luanne fell into the room kissing.

"Oh fuck a doodle doo. Terrific." Dean rolled his eyes, as the malevolent ghost stepped out of the painting and seemingly swam in the air out the open door, over the heads of the groping adulterers.

"Holy shit!" said his father. "We've got to stop her. She'll go for the male blood relatives. Who is that at this party again?"

"The old man, one son, four grandsons here. All dressed as confederate soldiers." Dean listed rapidly.

"Any dressed as a colonel, that's this guy's rank?" John indicated the oil painting.

"Yeah Dougie Miller, a grandson." Dean ran to the door. "I'll take the second floor Dad, you do the ground."

Luanne looked up from the floor with Rhett. "What in god's creation is going on?"

_Part Six_

Faith and Miller carried Kate out between them. She was slowly coming round. They crossed over the hall immediately to find Sam.

Riley was peering his head out the door worriedly. Have you seen Sam? he asked them, a furrow between his brow.

"No why?" Miller and Faith lowered Kate on the bed beside Vi.

"Just thirty seconds ago, I had my head down checking Vi, this cold chill came in the room." Riley went on. "Sam ran out as if the house was on fire. Saying there's things she had to do. Why is Lockley here?"

"I need to see John Winchester." Kate mumbled weakly.

"You do? Aren't you going to citizen's arrest me, bring me to justice etc drug me, carry me to your car to drive over the Californian state line." Faith reminded her arch enemy.

"I don't care about that any more." Kate said. "I have other priorities."

"Oh my god Winchester's dad knocked you up didn't he?" Faith squatted on her heels triumphant. "That's why you fainted. Don't deny it Lockley. I've been pregnant a coupla times myself."

"You have?" Miller commented calmly. He asked the question that had been preying on his mind since the drinking game in Maine. "What is this crap about Winchester being your ex-husband?"

"He is what Dean's Dad." Riley said confused. "Is that who you're pregnant to Faith?"

"Oh god, I'm not pregnant Riley, Lockley is! I was pregnant at sixteen but I had an abortion. I was pregnant at twenty two but I miscarried. I was married in May this year to Dean for exactly three freakin days and then we had it annulled. We got married drunk in Vegas. Crystal clear now everyone?"

"I could have told them all that. Seeing I've made you the goddamn focus of my life for two years." Kate laughed bitterly.

Vi put her arm around Kate on the bed in her sleep and mumbled. "Mommy?"

"So you were in love with Dean." Riley backtracked slowly, still working everything out.

"I don't know what my feelings are for Dean." Faith admitted crossly, trying not to meet Miller's eyes. She didn't know what her feelings for Miller were either.

"That was pretty plain to me when I saw you with your tongue down this guy's throat." Dean said walking into their room, smirking at Miller. "Anyways you're alive. That's good, I guess."

"Why shouldn't Faith be alive?" Riley was starting to get a headache. Faith had her tongue down Millers throat? He knew Faith hadn't had her tongue down his throat ever, not in that body anyway. Had Sam gone to check the central heating?

"Not Faith, Miller!" Dean explained exasperated. Everyone else but Kate looked puzzled.

Kate began to laugh weakly. "You don't know what the other is, do you? It's too fricking priceless. Let me break it to you both, he's a ghost hunter and she kills demons in South America for the army."

"That explains a lot." Dean looked at Faith. "We really need to talk baby."

"Yeah," Faith folded her arms defensively. "Like why is Miller in danger?"

Dean gave the Readers Digest version of things. "There is a ghost loose in the house that possesses African American women and gets them to kill men from Miller's grandfather's bloodline. To cut a long story short she's probably after Dougie."

"There are no black women at this party." Riley mused. "Sam and I noticed that immediately."

"There's Sam, sorta. Riley, didn't you say Sam rushed out of the room for no reason." Miller pointed out. "Ms Lockley can you look after Vi? She's been given GBH we think."

Dean addressed everyone in a no nonsense voice. "Okay Riley and Miller, you find Miller's male relatives from his grandfather get them in the main room. Faith you come with me."

Everyone nodded seeing the sense in that. Riley and Miller were disciplined enough to allocate roles to the experts in their fields in a combat situation. And neither of them liked it.


	11. I'll always remember

I'll always remember that I had a swinging time 

**Part One**

**  
**Faith and Dean walked in stony silence together looking for Sam Finn. They were good at walking in silence they both thought.

Faith couldn't stand it anymore. "So you figure that because this ghost was African American that's why she's possessed Sam because of her gran? That's why there are no black people at this party tonight and why Graham's grandfather gave his servants the night off and hired a Chinese catering company?"

"Yeah," Dean said shortly. "It's the ghosts M.O."

"I don't like dealing with ghosts, too much bookwork exorcising them." Faith stifled a yawn of boredom just thinking about it. "That's why you carry a prayer book round with you huh?"

"Yeah all your crucifixes are because you're physically fighting demons in South America? Are the stakes…what are they for vampires?"

"No they're extinct." Faith said sarcastically. "Of course…" Dean put up his hand to silence her.

"Sam," they heard Dougie shout panicked from the midst of a large maze. "Get off, Christ!"

"A maze, shit." Dean took out an electronic device that looked hacked together. Anyone Faith had dealings with in the army would have laughed at it. "It's to the left."

"Take my hand." Faith went on the outside of the maze and boosted Dean up the hedge. He lay on top, as she jumped up and caught his hand.

"Nice to see what you can really do. Never suspected how much you held back Faith." Dean smirked. He couldn't help being pleased to be with her again, even in these bizarre circumstances. "We need to do this two more times by my readings. Um you're falling out of that dress sweetheart."

"I'm wearing a bra, like you haven't seen them before." Faith jumped down and helped catch Dean.

"Has Miller yet?" Dean asked her. He didn't think Faith and Miller had made love. He had always been a good reader of people.

They could hear Dougie and Sam fighting, crashing against the hedge.  
Faith helped lift him up again. "Just one question Dean, how many girls have you screwed since the 18th of December?"

"Just one, she wasn't who I wanted to be with." Dean pulled Faith up, her dress ripped.

"Crap I was gonna return this dress. You wanted to be with me I suppose." Faith lay in Dean's arms for a second. He could smell the perfume he had given her on her skin.

"Well that's a freakin given." Dean watched as she jumped down. Faith caught him again as he jumped. He stood in her embrace. "Faith we really need to talk." They heard Dougie scream again. "But not right now."

They reached Dougie who was being throttled by Sam. Faith pulled Sam off him using brute force. Sam had the strength of the possessed. Faith was far stronger than the average demon and was able to wrestle her down on the ground.

Dean snapped handcuffs on Sam. "I hope you're not disappointed we never got to try these." Dean joked to Faith.

Faith chuckled and picked up Sam by the arms. "Not really me any more."

"What is going on?" Dougie asked hysterically. "Sam asked me out in the maze I thought she wanted to do the whole Mrs Robinson, the Graduate thing. I was into that idea then she turned all violent."

"Dougie you're not a rapist, but you're still a freakin retard." Faith sighed as Dean picked up Sam's feet. "Show us out of the maze and then find Riley."

**Part Two.**

"That was an impressive exorcism. You really know your stuff huh?" Faith complimented Dean.

She was knotting the remains of her dress together in a spare bedroom. Dean had exorcised Sam in the attic and then helped her back to Riley, telling Riley to let Miller know his family was safe now. They couldn't find Dean's father at the moment.

"Thanks had a lot of practice. So that kiss with Miller…" Dean was sitting astride a chair, leaning his arms on the back of it. Watching her trying unsuccessfully to tie a knot in her ruined pantyhose.

"I think it was just a mistletoe thing." Faith said carelessly. And an amazing New Year's Kiss that got a little carried away. That was all it was, Faith told herself. She should get it on with Dean, take the familiar path with someone who wouldn't be expecting things from her in the morning.

"Right," Dean frowned at Faith's futile attempts to repair her makeup. Damn he'd missed taking that mirror. "Is that what you're gonna tell yourself."

"What are you talking about?" Faith looked at him confused. "We're fine now you and me. You hunt ghosts, I hunt demons. All out in the open."

Dean went up to her and put his arms round her waist. "And we'll live happily ever after huh?"

"No of course not we're not that type." Faith acknowledged. "We both know that, ships that pass in the night. Well it's night now isn't it? Where's your pass lover?"

"Don't freakin' use me Faith." Dean put his hand under her chin. "I've done a helluva lot of thinking and you're still the nicest girl I've ever met and I still really like you."

"I feel there's a big 'but' coming my way." Faith felt her eyes moisten. Why was she so fucking soft these days? What was wrong with her?

"But you don't love me. You'll screw me and it'll be good baby. Christ I know how good we can be together sometimes." Dean felt her press against him unconsciously. He paused and kissed her forehead tenderly. "And then I'll have to leave and you'll have ruined your chance to be happy with a guy who could really love you like you deserve."

"So you're dumping me?" Faith bit her lip bitterly amused. "Never saw that coming."

'Faith just listen and believe, just this fucking once." Dean shook her with every sentence. "I can't give you what you need. You don't love me. Ya just too damn yellow to risk loving someone who can love you back."

"Miller can't love me." Faith gestured round the opulent bedroom. "He comes from this! I'm a double murderer Dean. You are the nicest guy I've ever been with and you didn't ever call me."

"I wanted to call you, you never called me either." Dean held her in his arms. "Ask yourself why you never called me?"

Faith was silent as she did some serious thinking, about Dean about Miller, about herself.

"I didn't call because I don't love you." Faith realized finally. Dean was passing up the chance to have sex with her, so she could be with Miller. Dean really did care about her in his own way. "You are a truly nice guy Dean you know that?"

"Put me in the nice box why don't you? Next you'll be telling me we can still be friends." Dean pushed her away playfully. "Now scoot sweetheart or Miller'll never believe we didn't make love in the time frame."

Faith kissed him swiftly goodbye on the mouth. "We still could have if you hadn't insisted on freakin talking." She winked and left the room.

Dean stared after her. Yep he'd been unselfish alright. Shouldn't he be feeling better inside? Dean hadn't felt so empty in a long while.

Faith found the others back with Vi. Riley had mud all over his white leggings where he had walked into an ornamental goldfish pond looking for Miller's uncle. Miller had a bump on his forehead from retrieving his cousin from the back seat of a car. There was no sign of Kate.

"Is everyone okay?" Faith asked walking into the room.

"Well we all look like something the cat dragged in, especially you and Sam. Vi's still groggy from her drink spiking." Miller stated expressionlessly. "Dougie went home just now with Mom and Dad. Told 'em he got in a fight with some guys from his college."

"Can we call a cab now and go home too?" Riley begged, his arms round Sam. "This Texan shindig is a bit much for a farm boy from Iowa. What with date rape drugs and my wife getting taken over by an evil spirit and everything. Back home we just sing Auld Lang Syne to ring in the New Year. Sometimes we tip a cow but that's about it."

They rode home not saying much. Vi was starting to feel normal again.

Graham's mother was still waiting up. She took Vi in her arms. "You poor girl I heard about what happened." Mrs Miller looked at the others. "I'll sit with her to make sure she's alright. You Sam darling need to rest, I don't know what possessed you to help save Dougie from his second fight."

"Ah the Beaumont grapevine never ceases to amaze, in its accurate recounts of events." Miller kissed his mother on the cheek. "You're the best Mom."

Riley and Sam made their good nights and stumbled off to bed. Miller and Faith walked up the stairs to bed shortly after.

Faith stopped on her landing. She wasn't sure what she was meant to do next. Go into her room and sob over Dean, screw Miller on the landing? She didn't think that was going to happen somehow. "Goodnight Miller."

"You're a slayer, you're not tired." Miller folded his arms and leaned on the wall. "When things got weird I popped a pill. I'm not tired either. Do you want to see my room? I'd like to show you it anyway. Pretend to be fascinated."

"Just let me get out of this stupid dress okay? I look like someone almost succeeded at burning me at the freakin stake." Faith went into her room and pulled on her jeans and sweater off the floor.

**Part Three**

Miller took her hand and led Faith up to the next level of the house. He showed her to a room built into the roof with sloping ceilings. He turned on one light switch, so the light in his room was soft.

Faith looked round interested. The room was masculine and a time capsule of Miller's life it seemed. On display was school football trophies, high school and college diplomas, a framed photo of him in Army Uniform and a case with two medals mounted.

Faith looked at the medals carefully. "So you're brave under fire huh?"

"Demon spew actually, but that would be kinda hard to explain at the army engravers." Miller took her hand again, leading her over to his bed. He sat down on it. "I didn't know if you'd come back with us tonight."

Faith sat down beside him. "I didn't know either. But in the end I wanted to be here with you. Not visualizing this room of course although I have been kinda curious. That statue of Eisenhower is a worry."

She looked at the board of photos beside his bed. There were a few of her there, a group shot of them all round a demon drug lords swimming pool in Ecuador, Sam and her having a snowball fight in Maine. One from the drive down to Texas with Vi. She remembered him taking that one, Faith and Vi had been play fighting with snowshoes over who rode shotgun.

"Do you jerk off to that?" she asked shakily. Faith just couldn't help herself sometimes.

"The photo wall, well you'll notice my grandma and Riley are up there, so no. Thinking of you frequently." Miller admitted unashamed. "I've been falling for you for months' woman."

"What are we doing?" Faith plucked at a stray thread on the bed cover. "In your imagination?"

"Run of the mill sex fantasies, missionary position type stuff mostly. You'd probably find it boring."

Miller raised her hand and gazed at the broken nails and scrapes on it. "I hate to think what that maze is gonna look like this morning." He kissed her fingertips. Faith shivered.

"It sounds kinda dull, your fantasies. I'd need you to show me for real I guess, to know for sure." Faith was sure he could hear her heart start to pound. Having sex with someone she knew loved her, was diving into unknown territory.

"Well they always start off like this." Miller tilted her head round and kissed her long and slowly. Faith felt her blood racing with the mixture of apprehension and desire.

They fell back on the bed simply kissing for a long time. Inevitably they started slowing removing each others clothing, exploring each others bodies as they did so. Miller pulled back the bed covers and they climbed carefully into bed together.

"Have you got protection?" Faith checked with him.

Miller pulled open his bedside table drawer, clutching a handful and slapped them on top.

"Ambitious."

"So I can find one while operating under limited brain function." He resumed kissing her.

Faith was acutely aware of his hands stroking between her legs to part them. Making sure she was ready for him. She was completely ready, physically at least.

He lowered his mouth down her collar bone, pausing at her breasts.

Faith was starting to feel all wariness go and only desire remain.

"I still need you inside me." She told him, as he traced a slow circle round her hard nipple with his tongue.

"Soon." he promised hoarsely. He needed to taste her first, to hear how she sounded when she climaxed, so he could judge the best how long to wait before he finally came himself. He probed her with his tongue, lapping at her clit, like a cat drinking milk. Faith tensed her body waiting for her orgasm to hit. Relaxing as an explosion of bliss shuddered down her body. She cried out.

Faith sounded like that. Okay. Miller grabbed a condom and put it on. Entering her leisurely and thrusting into her forcefully in a slow steady rhythm. It was unbelievably good. Faith put her hand over her mouth to muffle her cries.

Miller removed it. "Be as loud as you want Faith. No one can hear us."

Miller reached to brush back her hair from her eyes, he wanted to see her face. He had the most intense pale blue eyes. Faith was beginning to see how it was possible to tell someone you loved them while they were inside you.

The radio alarm clock on the bedside table went off, the time reading three o'clock, blaring out "Rock around the Clock". Miller punched it with his fist to turn it off and Faith had her second orgasm, stronger than her first.

Miller continued to move slowly in and out of her unhurriedly. He came inside her almost unexpectedly, it seemed to them both. He shook his head, dazed with the strength of his climax.

Faith could hear him muttering again as he kissed her neck, coming back down to earth. He twined his fingers in her hair.

"So too dull?" Miller threw the used condom in the waste paper basket by his desk, in one perfect shot.

Faith shook her head immediately. "Wicked good. Was it how you imagined?"

"It was hard at first to adjust to the fact that Angelina Jolie wasn't going to walk in and join us halfway through." Miller teased her. Faith laughed.

"It was better darlin'." Miller gently traced the tattoo on her arm, with his fingers.

"Your Mom's right you have a light hand." Faith smiled at him. "Should I go? Will your parents mind if I'm not in my room tomorrow?"

"I'm an adult, I've had girlfriends sleep over since college and don't ever repeat the baking comment."

Faith pulled the covers over them and snuggled into his arms. "Hey Graham, why did the freakin alarm clock go off at 3.am?"

Miller rolled his eyes and switched off the light. "Dougies little joke. I told you he was a retard."

**Part Four**

April 2006 Beaumont Texas

Dean and Sam drove through Beaumont on their way back from Richardson. Dean explained how he had worked on a case there once.

"I'm telling you Sammy for a number of reasons that New Year's night was quite something. There was a good cafe nearby if I remember right, wanna see if it's still there?" Dean suggested.

Sam nodded "Yeah, I need a restroom again too. I think I'm getting stomach flu."

"Thanks for sharing bro." Dean told him, "A bit too much information."

They found the cafe still going strong. They ordered lunch. Sam went off to the men's room. Dean picked up the local paper someone had left.

"Nothing that exciting happens here. Just anti-smoking legislation." Faith said slipping into the chair opposite his. "Unless you're here on something I should know about."

"I'm just passing through. Was working on something in Richardson." Dean explained. He looked at Faith curiously, soft natural make up, hair a little shorter better cut, smartly casual in a leather jacket and jeans, still sexy. Not a trace of the street left in her outward appearance.

Faith pulled something out of her pocket. "Catch!" She flung a crucifix at him.

Dean caught it. "What was that for?"

"I'd heard you'd died a coupla months back. I was just checking. You're looking good for a ghost."

"That shape shifter thing in St Louis huh, how did you hear about it?"

"Remember Andrew, he's big on shape shifters." Faith looked relieved "I hoped it wasn't you."

"So what are you doing these days? Quite a suntan you've got going on in April, still working in South America?" Dean asked casually.

"Yeah I'm up here for a week, got something important to do on Saturday." Faiths eyes twinkled and she waved the back of her hand in front of him.

Dean spotted the huge diamond ring on her left hand. "You're getting married to Miller I take it? Nice rock."

Faith nodded. "White dress, bridesmaids, church, the whole freakin nine yards. I drew the line at a Confederate recreation theme. Graham's Grandfather was bummed at first, but he's over it."

"Well that's great sweetheart. Do I still get to call you that?" Dean queried raising an eyebrow.

"Why not?" Faith took her coffee from the waitress. "So how's your Dad?"

"Still the same, working on something like a man obsessed." Dean frowned. "Me and my brother Sammy were worried about him for a while. Still are."

"So your brother is what a lawyer now?" Faith remembered.

"No he's working with me at the moment. Once you know what's out there…" Dean took his lunch from the waitress. "So are you eating?"

"I was just having a quick coffee when I spotted you. I've got a dentist appointment in ten minutes round the corner. You're just the same Dean." Faith shook her head in amazement. Dean dressed the same and he had the same cocky demeanor, but he was aging badly. He had the beginnings of anxiety lines and looked even more cynical and alone, than a year and a half ago.But she didn't want to tell him that. "You haven't changed a bit."

"You have." Dean smiled at her. "You're still as hot as ever but you look a lot happier than when I first met you. You're I dunno radiant? You're not…?"

"No." Faith waved her hand in dismissal of the notion. "That's our big plan for next year. Hey did you and your Dad ever hear from Kate Lockley again?"

"No, why?"

"No reason." Faith shook her head. It was Kate's secret to tell, not hers. "I have to go and I can't kiss you goodbye small town and all. Plus I tell my fiancé everything, including I ran into you today. But I owe you Dean."

"How do you figure that." Dean said lightly. But he knew what she was going to say.

"For not screwing me that night, for making me realize I needed to go to Graham. Even before that for being kind," Faith sipped her coffee. "I'll never forget how you stayed that first night in Vegas when I was sad because my friends had died."

"I wasn't…It was hard saying good bye to you that last night." Dean remembered the pain. God it seemed so long ago now, he'd almost forgotten her. "Well I hope this marriage works out for you. Millers a good guy he'll appreciate you."

"Good bye Dean." Faith leaned forward, and kissed him on the cheek. "Take care huh?"

"You too Faith." Dean watched her leave, as she walked out of the café. He still had her crucifix in his palm. Dean knew he would never see her again. He was glad he had been unselfish Faith looked so happy.

Sam sat in front of him. "Who was that classy chick kissing you goodbye? Why the hell would she know a loser like you?"

Dean grinned and stretched out his legs waiting for Sam's jaw to drop open. He swung the silver crucifix idly between his fingers. "How does she know me, well we got married in May 2004…"

**Part Five**

April 2006 Vancouver Canada

"No Mrs Ferguson, that doesn't sound preposterous to me at all. If you suspect your husband is a werewolf, my agency can confirm that for you." Kate Lockley noted down the details. "Look we're closing now and I have to go but I'll call you back first thing tomorrow okay?"

Kate looked up and took her child from her nanny. "Sorry Fiona she just wouldn't get off the phone. Like no one ever married a werewolf before?"

"Yeah I could tell she was chewing your ear off. I have to go now Kate, see you at eight tomorrow." Kate's nanny took off quickly.

Kate took her daughter in her arms. "Mommy and Kelly going to go back home now?" she cooed into her daughter's dark hair.

Kate had decided in Beaumont that John Winchester was an obsessed maniac. Whose entire focus was on looking for the demon that had killed his wife. A future male mirror of her, who she would end up becoming if she didn't take drastic steps to prevent her downwards spiral. If the way John treated Dean was anything to go by, she didn't need his input into her child's life.

Kate carried Kelly down to her car. It was always good to have someone to love who loved you back. Kate was thinking of getting a Labrador next to add to her quality of life. She hoped her boyfriend wasn't allergic to dogs.

Oz had never mentioned he was allergic to dogs. Kate really had to check this evening. He was coming round at eight.

"Say good bye to Mommy's office Kelly, wave bye byes."


End file.
